One heartbeat away
by Eevee07
Summary: AU. Iris and Ash are childhood friends who basically did everything together as small children. Right before they were about to travel together on their long awaited Pokemon journey, Iris finds out that Ash suffers from a rare heart disease. And instead he has to attend some academy? Negaishipping. Co-authored with Toadettegirl2012
1. The earliest days

**Before we begin I'd like to thank my dear friend Toadettegirl2012 for reading over and editing this fanfic! (Insert epic applause here) Thanks to her this fanfic became readable xD So yeah, I think we could call this an collaboration between both of us.**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: We both don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

If you ask me what my earliest memory is, I'll probably answer by the time Drayden and I moved to Pallet town. I didn't like the idea of moving away from my hometown, the Village of Dragons, but I didn't have another choice. Drayden was offered a better paid job as a gym leader in Pallet town, and because he had to take care of me I also got to move with him. You see, I never got a chance to meet my parents, whoever they were. I was raised to view Drayden as my real dad, and I think he handled that role very well. He acted like an ordinary dad, and I'm happy with how everything turned out.

My name is Iris Dragonlight, an ordinary twenty year old. Currently I'm a pharmacist student in one of Unova's finest universities and I'm striving towards-

"Iris?"

I stopped writing for a moment, looking up at my lab partner and classmate Brock. He raised his eyebrow curiously as he eyed my notebook. "What are you doing? Studying for our next exam?"

"No," I replied. "I'm writing down a story."

"A story?"

"Yeah. A good friend of mine's story. I promised him to write down everything one day, and right now is the best time to do so. Besides the train to Kanto takes six hours."

"Hm," Brock replied, looking thoughtful. "I know it's not really my business but... Is this friend away now?"

I shakily put my notebook and pen away, shifting in my seat to make myself more comfortable. "Well... I could tell you the story…that is if you want."

"Well I don't see why not, we got six hours to kill after all." Brock smiled at me, also leaning back in his seat.

I closed my eyes and let the memories flood back. "It all started by the time my dad Drayden and I moved to Pallet town..."

* * *

**Pallet Town: 15 years earlier**

"I don't like this place!" A five year old girl stated, crossing her little arms as she kicked the ground with her little foot.

"How can you decide that so sudden?" Drayden asked as he picked up a large box. "Iris, you can't judge a book by its cover. I've told you that many times."

"But Daddy this isn't a book, it's a small, boring town!" Iris corrected him as she pouted.

Drayden sighed at the girl's one mindedness. "Alright Iris, if you're really think this town is boring why don't you go for a little walk and to get a look around, while I carry all those boxes inside?"

Iris suspiciously glanced around a bit before her brown eyes spotted a nearby at the forest, it was dense with trees and looked rather interesting to the adventurous five year old. When she thought about it, it actually looked like the forest back at the Village of Dragons. Maybe it was the same forest! And if it was, there was no doubt in Iris's mind that if she followed the small path she'd get back home!

Smiling happily to herself Iris nodded at the older man. "Sure, I'll go!"

"Be home by dinner!" Drayden called after her as she ran off.

"Okay, I will!" Iris replied happily with a wave as she pushed a branch aside and entered the big forest.

As she started down the forest's trail, Iris noticed that this forest seemed darker than the one back at home. Trees made looming intimidating shadows and the grass rustled as the wind blew by, the only light source happened to be rays of sunlight that were able to poke their way through the tree's branches and leaves. All Iris could hear were bird Pokémon chirping around her and the scurrying of tiny feet of grass dwelling Pokémon, it was a bit uncanny for her and for a moment the little girl with purple hair wondered if she should just turn around and run back.

'No!' Iris thought determinedly. 'If I go back now I'll never know where this path leads to.'

"Pid Pidgeot!" a large bird like creature with tan, red and yellow feathers cried as it swooped down and then sharply flew back up, missing Iris's head just by a few centimeters.

"WAAHH!" Iris quacked, bending down slightly. She looked up only to watch the Pidgeot fly higher up into the sky and disappear into the trees. Pouting at her own crowdedness Iris muttered to herself "Just some weird bird Pokemon,"

She continued deeper into the forest, making sure not to weaver off the path, and after walking for a while, Iris spotted a berry bush. Iris's face lit up with a smile, she loved fruits and berries, and it was no surprise when she happily walked towards the bush and plopped down beside it. Taking a berry, Iris bit into it and her smile widened, as she enjoyed the sweet taste spreading in her mouth.

But her blissful moment was then suddenly interrupted as Iris felt a round object hitting hard on the back of her head. Promptly dropped the half eaten berry and rubbed her back head Iris jumped to her feet. "Hey! That hurt!"

"Oops! I'm sorry about that!" A young boy's voice apologized.

Iris looked up and glared at the boy. He looked about her age, had messy raven hair, dark brown eyes like her and zigzag marks on his cheeks. He looked quite worried and a bit startled at her sudden appearance but she could tell by his facial expression that it all was an accident.

"Why did you do that?" Iris demanded, spying the pokeball that had landed on the ground by the bush.

"I thought y-you were... a well ... um a wild Pokémon, that's all," the boy stuttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"What?! Are you saying I look like a Pokémon?!" Iris demanded angrily, shaking her small fist in the air.

"No!" He shook his head. "I was following a wild Pichu and I saw that the bush you were behind moved... so um I thought the Pichu was hiding behind it..." his voice trailed off.

"Oh," Iris said feeling a bit silly for yelling at him. "It's okay. My name is Iris and I just moved here all the way from Unova!"

"You live in this forest!?" The boy asked with a shocked expression.

"No, silly!" Iris laughed. "I live in Pallet Town."

"Pallet? Cool, I live there too!" He beamed at her, rushing over to shake her hand. "My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm training to become a Pokemon Master!"

"Pokemon Master," Iris repeated, wondering what it meant. "Anyway, could you show me around here? I think I'm lost." She said in a sheepish manner.

"No problem!" Ash smiled widely at her and taking her by the hand. "This forest isn't big. I'll show you around in time at all."

Iris followed Ash as he introduced her to a beautiful pond filled with water type Pokemon. Then he showed her the playground, kindergarten, the small downtown with the small shops and his own home. It turned out that she lived right across the street from him, and therefore she had no problems with returning back to her new home.

"Hey Ash, race ya!" Iris called as the two approached their houses after the eventual day of showing her around Pallet Town.

Ash hesitated for a brief moment before he smiled, "Okay, you're on, Iris!"

With that the girl and the boy took off, both a full speed down the road. Iris giggled as she easily raced into first place, leaving her new friend behind.

Grinning she looked over her shoulder and playfully teased, "Nah nah! I'm gonna win Ash-" but then she skidded to a stop and her face was overtaken by a worried expression at the sight of her new best friend crimpled to the ground, heavily breathing and looking like he was in pain.

"As-Ash! Are you okay?" Iris asked, rushing to his side.

Ash didn't, well more like couldn't, give an answer, he just stayed seated on his knees and dragged air heavily in and out of his lungs. Ash had his hand pressed firmly against the left side of his chest, his brown eyes were tightly squeezed closed and he started to groan loudly.

"Ash, say something?! What's wrong?!" Iris cried

"E-chest…argh!" he wheezed as his small hand curled tightly around the material of his shirt, as if the pain he was feeling was getting far worse.

Now panicked, Iris got to her feet and bolted the rest of the distance to her house, "Daddy! DADDY!" screamed the little girl as she darted around the box cluttered hose, in frantic search for the white haired man.

"Iris? What's the matter?" Drayden questioned, startled when he saw that the little girl was close t tears upon approaching him.

"I-It's Ash! S-Something's w-wrong with hi-him!" she breathlessly stammered.

"Ash? Iris who's that?" questioned Drayden as the little girl dragged him outside, but his question was quickly answered when he spotted the small raven haired boy laying, curled up in a ball, on the ground.

Iris gave a wail of fright as she began to cry, but Drayden did otherwise by picking up the limp boy and rushing him inside. Among the pile of boxes inside the house Dradyen was able to lay the boy down on the couch and told Iris to watch after him while he went across the street to see if there was anyone at Ash's house that could help.

"Ash…come Ash wake up," Iris sniffled as she gently nudged his shoulder.

But Ash didn't responded; all that could be heard was his labored breathing and the soft groans that emitted from his lips. Iris sat watching Ash for what seemed like an eternity, but finally her father returned along with a woman with brown hair and eyes.

The women, which Iris soon learned that was Ash's mother and her name was Delia, sunk down beside the couch and cradled her son's head in her arms, "Oh, Ash sweetheart…" she murmured, stroking his hair.

"Due to what you told me," Drayden said to Delia, "do you want me to tell the hospital?"

Fighting back tears Delia answered, "I-I guess that'll be-"

Suddenly a faint groan drawn everyone's attention to the boy on the couch and a feeling of relief washed everyone as Ash's eyes fluttered open.

"ASH! You okay!" Iris cheered, and then proceeded in giving her new friend a tight hug, which only resulted in him crying out.

"Iris, not so tight," Drayden warned pulling the little girl off the boy.

Iris wanted to ask why but she didn't get the chance as ash began to speak.

"Mommy…w-what happened?" he asked softly.

"You fainted sweetheart," Delia said softly, but in a sad tone, she kissed his forehead and then starting asking the boy questions Iris was confusion about. She was asking Ash if he had been tired, about a pain in his chest, and if he took medicine…it was all weird, but before Iris asked about the question, Drayden sent her to fetch some water for the raven haired boy. When she returned with the glass of liquid Ash drank it and at the same time his mother had him swallow a small white pill.

'Why did Ash fall over like that when we raced?' thought Iris as she waved Ash goodbye when his mother carried him home. 'And why did Daddy and his Mommy seemed so worried and scared?'

Iris asked her many questions about what happened that afternoon to her father, when she received her answer it was:

"I'll tell you when you're older, Iris. Right now it's best that you leave it between us grownups, alright?"

Iris wasn't satisfied with that answer but that was all she got out of her adopted father. Ever since that first day in Pallet Town, Iris never gained a clear answer for what had happened and as she and Ash went through their childhood and their schooling years, she never did get an answer. But as the years went by she found that something was always off about Ash. During school he would never run a lot in gym class, he'd always sit out on almost all physical activities and when Ash did run, he'd only run for a short time and then he would get winded and would even fall over, in what Iris could only guess, of exhaustion at times. This would always resulted in the teaching coming and asking if the raven haired boy was alright, and even if he claimed yes he was sent to go sit down. It was all so strange, but what was stranger was that each day during one of their classes the school nurse would come and Ash would receive a small white capsule and water that he would quickly swallow. And seeing him do that always made the purple haired girl think back on the day they had met.

Were all of these strange behaviors, connected to that day he collapsed when they raced? Well Iris just didn't know. Iris would ask about his strange behavior and the daily visits from the school nurse and the little white pill but, Ash would only shrug it off, or quickly change the subject. Soon Iris gave up on asking and never brought up the day the met or any of the strange behaviors ever again, she had lost interest after the constant unclear answers.

So the years continued to pass and soon both Ash and Iris grew to the age of Pokémon trainers and then quickly agreed that they wanted to travel together on a journey as soon as possible. Iris remembered how they used to sit by the sparkling pond in the forest where they first met, resting their bare feet in the water and splashing each other as plan out every single detail about their journey, before they would stroll home laughing and dripping wet. They basically did everything together and therefore became close friends. But, sadly, the day where they planned to start on their journey never came. Ash kept on making silly excuses, and Iris couldn't figure out what the problem was. He already got his first Pokémon, a humorous Pikachu, and so did she, an adorable Axew, so there shouldn't really be any problem. Iris decided that she wouldn't push him. He'd be ready when he was ready. Problem solved.


	2. Secrets

**x A couple of years later x**

"Should I wear this dress or this one?" Iris, who was now at the age of fifteen, she was taller, her hair was longer and she was more developed in the way a teenage girl her age should be. At the moment asked as she held up two different dresses in front of the large mirror. The first one was a strapless cream colored dress with a pink ribbon on the back. The other one was a simple black dress which went all the way down to her knees.

"Axew ew," the little dusk pokemon replied, sounding really bored.

"You sure he won't care?" Iris asked worriedly.

"Axew!"

"Okay then..." The purple haired girl said and put away the black dress. "It's decided then. I'll take the cream colored one."

Iris got dressed as quickly as she could and pulled her royal purple hair back in a long ponytail and allowed the bangs to brush over her eyebrows. When she was satisfied with how she looked, she smiled warmly at Axew. "Alright I'm all ready to go, see you later, Axew!"

"Ax axew…" Axew yawned after her, collapsing down on her soft king-size bed and promptly nodding off to sleep.

Glancing at the clock hanging on the hallway wall Iris gasped "Oh no, I'm already late!" she rushed down the stairs, while at the same time trying to tug on her shoe, but all this resulted in was her tripping and tumbling down the last three steps and landed face first with a loud thud. "Ouch…" Iris groaned.

Suddenly there was soft chuckle above her, looking up Iris saw her beloved father looming over her. He had a grin n hi white bearded face, "Iris, I know you're in a rush," he started as he helped the girl he had basically taken as his daughter, "but how many times do I have to tell you not to run down the stairs,"

Blushing with embossment Iris sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry, Daddy, I'll remember for next time," standing up on her tip toes Iris placed her arms around the tall man's neck to give him a hug, upon pulling away she added, "but for right now, I gotta get going, I don't want to keep Ash waiting!"

"Don't stay out too late Iris," Drayden call after her as the purple haired girl he had raised as she rushed out of the front door.

Once out of the house Iris quickly got on her bike and biked towards the big fountain. The fountain was in the middle of the Pallet Town market, and it was a popular place to hang out. Ash told Iris to meet him there, but she had no idea why. But the Unovaion girl didn't mind surprises, especially ones from her best friend.

As Iris approached the fountain, Ash was nowhere to be seen. The sun hung low in the sky, causing the slight wind to feel quite cold. Iris got off the bike and sat down on the edge of the fountain but after more time pasted Iris glanced at her watch and sighed. He was ten minutes late! How could that be? Ash always came to her meeting spots earlier just so he could have a good laugh at how late she was. Maybe something happened?

'Patience is the key, Iris,' the purple haired girl reminded herself, tapping her feet on the ground. But as time went by, it also got darker. And colder. Iris regretted not bringing her jacket with her.

After an hour, Iris got tired of just sitting there. Something must have happened, and therefore she got on her bike and rode towards the Ketchum's house. She pouted annoyingly because they lived in the same street, and therefore she biked the long way for nothing. Iris carefully leaned her bike against the house and walked up the steps. She knocked on the large wooden door but only to jump back in shock when it swung open.

There in the doorway stood Delia Ketchum her eyes were puffy and swollen, and against her tear stained cheek she held a napkin, and the women's brown hair was a rumpled mess! Iris had never seen Delia in such a state before! Usually her friend's mother was cheery and carefree, and seeing the mid-aged woman like that scared Iris.

"Delia?" Iris squeaked.

"Oh…I-Iris," she managed to say between her cries. She walked over and embraced the purple haired girl tightly as she continued on crying.

"What happened? Is Ash here?" Iris asked, hugging her back.

"No sweetie," Delia replied, pulling away and looking Iris straight in the eye. "…Ash…well i-it's just…he's in the hospital right now."

The news came as a hard slap on Iris' face. Ash at the hospital!? Right now? Iris stood there wide-eyed, mouth agape, she was too shocked to say anything. "….B-But ho-how? What happened?"

Delia picked up her purse and closed the front door behind her. "I'm going to the hospital right now," she told her shakily. "You can come along if you want."

Iris blinked as she ran after Delia towards her small, red car. "Is it bad? Will he be okay?"

Delia sat down behind the wheel, closing the car door quickly. "Honestly I'm not sure…" she said quietly, wiping another tear away as she muttered. "He had small heart attacks before, but…I have never seen him like this before."

"Sm-Small…he-heart attacks?" Iris repeated to herself, more confused than ever.

Why haven't Ash told her anything about this 'heart thing' before? Weren't they best friends? Don't friends tell each other important stuff like that? Iris jumped slightly as Delia started the engine and drove off in a high speed. The landscape outside the window became blurry, and Iris looked down at her hands. The only thing she could think about was Ash and his current condition.

x

After the longest car ride in Iris's life, both of them arrived at the hospital. It seemed like Delia already knew this place well, and she quickly walked towards a large, red door with a huge "5" boldly printed on it. As they came closer to it, Iris read the sign that said "Cardiac department." So Ash really had a heart attack?

Iris followed Delia around the section, and after a while they entered the room Ash was in. There were wires and cables everywhere, a flat screen was beeping, counting Ash's heartbeat, placed above the bed and the room seemed incredibly cold, making the girl shiver, she hated the cold. But in all the mess in the room she spotted her friend, Ash was lying stiff as a board on a hospital bed. Iris slapped her hand over her mouth as she shook her head. He looked so pale, and it made his jet black hair that seemed messier than, usual stand out more, and compared to all the medical equipment around him…Ash just looked so small.

'This…just can't b-be happing,' Iris thought, numbly.

But as much as she didn't want it to belive what she was seeing, Iris realized that it was true. Her friend, her first and only friend, was lying there looking sick and she could barely believe it. It all seemed unrealistic, and at the same time also confusing.

Delia grabbed a chair and sat down next to her son. She grabbed his hand and holds it tightly, looking down at her feet.

"Del-Delia?" Iris spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Yes Iris?" She replied, not looking up at her.

"C-Could you…please tell me what's going on?"

Delia ran her hand through her hair, nodding at a chair on the other side of the bed. "Please have a seat," she said.

Iris did as she said, sitting down at the chair with robotic movements. Delia seemed tired, and she didn't "glow" as she usually did. Anyone could tell she was taking this hard. "You know about Ash's heart disease, right?"

"…Ash…h-has…a heart d-disease?" Iris asked surprised, her eyes widening.

"Oh my…" she gasped and then glanced at her son, her face saddening even more, "so he hasn't told you? I thought he did…I mean after all those years you two-"

"Ash has a heart disease!" Iris cried worried and feeling more panicked than the day she met her friend.

Delia stared at the girl, the woman could tell Iris felt hurt about being kept in the dark about this, but that wasn't the most important thing right now.

"Um yes Ash does…and well a-always had trouble with his heart" Delia started to explain. "The doctors noticed that there was something unusual with Ash's heartbeat since he was a toddler. They said it possibly was something that would just go away, but…as you can see it didn't get any better." Looking at her son she continued. "Ash is full of energy and he is an active boy, but he becomes tired fairly easily. When he turned ten, we got the shocking news. Ash's heart was becoming worse by the years, and by then he couldn't run, get too excited or anything that increased the heart rate...not even the daily medicine he was assigned to take seemed to help."

Iris blinked. She knew that medicine, the white pills. The ones she would always ask about and would never get a clear answer about the reason for taking them. So that's what they were for? For Ash's heart. Her face disfigured into a distraught look as everything she had witnessed about Ash's odd behavior over the years started to make sense.

'All these years…Ash has had problems with this,' Iris thought staring at her unconscious friend. She had to blink to get rid of the tears that started to form in her eyes.

Delia paused for a moment, and could see that Iris was starting to make sense of everything, gently touching her son's cold z marked cheek she started explaining again. "Ash took it hard. He had expected to start on his Pokémon journey alongside with Pikachu and you, but his conduction won't allow it. Instead he's been having to spend a lot of time at the hospital."

'That explains all the excuses, absentees at school and when we'd plan to meet up and he wouldn't show,' Iris thought still staring at the boy on the bed. 'And now...we can't even reach our goal of going on a journey together…'

"But what's worse is…" the women stopped as she swallowed what might have been a wave of emotions. "The doctors said he possibly wouldn't live past eighteen…or twenty years old because of his heart. The only way to survive is to get Ash a heart donor, but things like that takes a long time. He has been on the waiting list for over three years now..."

"Bu-But, Ash, he's 15 now…" Iris gasped as the realization slapped her in the face. "D-Does that mean…he only has about th-three more years left to get a heart donor?"

Delia nodded in response. "Unfortunately…yes.." a few tears could be seen shining in the woman's eyes, she reach up and brushed them away as she turned back to her ill son.

Iris, now left to dwell on all the new information she had just learned, just kept shaking her head in disbelief, 'No…Ash h-he just…he just can d-die…' she turned her head towards the floor as she felt her body tremble from the coolness of the room and the utter worry she was feeling. 'He's the only person I can really call a friend…and besides…I never even got to work up the nerve to tell Ash…that…that I love him…' a sob escaped from her throat as tears started to collect in Iris's brown eyes. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from breaking down entirely.

"Ash no…please you just can't die,"


	3. The truth at last

**Just wanted to thank all the people who leave nice reviews, faves and follows this story! And also shout out to Toadettegirl2012 once again for her invaluable help with polishing this story and making it readable!**

**XX**

The first thing Ash was aware of when consciousness reached him was an irritating but familiar beeping sound which resounded in his ears. Groaning softly Ash slowly opened his eyes only for them to get stung by sudden brightness. After blinking a few times, Ash's eyes were able to adjust to the brightness and noticed his surroundings. Blinding white walls. Stiff bed, white bed sheets. A window displaying the sinking sun and the start of evening. Looking to his left and right, he saw beeping, flashing, pulsing, machinery that had countless of dangling wires coming out of them, most of them which were attached to his arms or hands.

'_Oh no…the hospital, not the hospital,'_ Ash grimly thought with a sigh.

After blinking away the drowsiness he felt, Ash made an attempt to slowly sit up, leaning most of his upper body weight on his elbows and forearms, but as he did this he gasped slightly and flinched. His chest, it still ached slightly, but thankfully the pain was nothing compared to the pain caused by his frequent heart attacks. As the pain dwindled away, he continued to get into a sitting position only to be halted by a weight on his lap.

Looking down, Ash was rather startled to see his friend Iris slumped down in a chair, her head resting on his lap, snoring softly. _'W-What is she doing here?'_he thought a bit panicked.

However, before he could think of an answer, there was a break in Iris's breathing and she stirred a bit. Biting his lip, he watched as Iris's eyelids twitched a bit before her eyelids slowly opened, revealing her big beautiful brown eyes. Ash held his breath as those brown eyes looked up at him before her head shot up off his lap.

"Ash! You're alive!" Iris exclaimed sounded relieved and grateful to see that her friend's eyes were open, and that the rise and fall of his chest indicated that he could breathe normally again. Happiness overtook her face in the form of a giant grin, Iris was so overjoyed that she couldn't help but throw her arms around her best friend.

"GAH!" Ash cried out as he cringed at the added pressure of Iris's hug, "I-Iris…if y-you don't m-mind…pl-please l-let go,"

"Oh my goodness! Sorry, Ash!" Iris apologized, she quickly let go of him and sat back in her chair, hands folded in her lap, as she felt a tad embarrassed at what she had done. "I-I'm…just so relieved that…you're okay, Ash,"

"Well, duh, of course I'm okay," Ash flashed a happy smirk at her, before asking a question he probably already knew the answer to. "By the way Iris, what happened to me? Why am I in the hospital surrounded by wires?"

A frown appeared on Iris's face. She opened and closed her mouth, not sure how to answer to his question. "Um... Well you see Ash, yo-you had a heart at-attack yesterday…"

"Again?" Ash asked in a flat voice that sounded the least bit surprised. Closing his eyes Ash couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. _'That pain I feeling in my chest while I was rushing to leave to head to the fountain to go met Iris…maybe I shouldn't have waited until the last moment to tell Mom how much I was hurting,'_

Placing a hand on his chest Ash frowned as he thought back to earlier that day. He remembered there was pain in his chest, which was increasingly becoming worse and worse as he rushed through the house trying to get ready to meet Iris at the fountain. At first Ash brushed it aside trying to ignore it, but suddenly, just as he was about ready to leave, he was hit with the awful sensation of the pain flaring up to the point where it was unbearable to handle. He remembered how he cried out, and crumpled to the floor, clutching his chest, withering in pain. The last thing Ash remembered was hearing his Mom screaming his name, asking what was the matter, but his answer was never given because he blacked out before he could.

"Yeah…Ash you had a heart attack again," Iris confirmed. She fidgeted with her fingers, she hesitated before asking the question that had been tugging at her brain ever since she arrived at the hospital and Mrs. Ketchum had told her everything."….As-Ash…um why didn't you…you know… t-tell me anything?"

"Tell you anything about what?"

"Don't play dumb!" Iris snapped, blinking away some tears that had unexpectedly formed in her eyes. "About your heart condition that's what! I mean, for Arceus sakes, Ash I'm your best friend! Aren't I important enough to you for you to tell me what was going on?!"

"Well, ye-yes of c-course y-your important I-Iris," Ash insisted as he spotted the tears that glistened in her eyes, he looked down on his blankets that he messed with, avoiding Iris's sad and angered gaze. "And I'm sorry if I-I offended you Iris, by n-not saying anything…I mean you're my best friend, but..."

"But what, Ash?" Iris demanded with a small sniffle as she wiped her face.

Ash heaved a sigh as he started t explain. "It's just that…people have always been looking after me, my mom, teachers, basically everyone. I hated it when everyone was looking over my shoulder; I hated being that big burden…"

The teen's voice trailed off as he shifted a bit on the bed and sighed, as if telling his best friend this secret was physically painful. Silence lingered in the air, the only sound being the heart monitor and the sound of the other machinery around the raven haired teen on the bed.

After a long moment Ash turned his amber eyes towards Iris and continued speaking, "With everyone else worried about me the last thing I wanted… wa-was for you to pity me a-all the time… or worse, b-be afraid that so-something bad would hap-happen to me." A weary smile found it's way on Ash's face. "Besides, Iris you're my best friend and you're the only one that I can really have fun hanging out with because you didn't have the burden of my heart problem to make you think differently about me…"

Iris stared at Ash, "Oh…so that's why you…I-I mean…" her voice faded off as she started to feel a bit guilty about all those times she would be upset due to the fact that she would never receive a clear answer about anything when Ash could grow tired or not show up at places with the constant excuse of being busy or something to that extent.

"I just want to be like anyone else at our age. You know, I wanted to run around and catch Pokémon without being afraid of getting another heart attack." Ash continued. "S-So I thought that if I-I didn't tell you about my heart condition… yo-you wouldn't treat me any dif-different, like the kids back at school did. No one wanted to play with me. They were afraid that I would just collapse in the middle of the game and therefore ruin the fun."

"Oh…I-I always th-thought th-that those kids were just…" Iris slowly stammered, but then just stopped. Suddenly everything made perfect sense. When Iris started school, she noticed that the kids avoided Ash as much as they could. Most of them didn't mean to be rude, but they were simply afraid something would happen to Ash if they even just touched him.

"But you, Iris," Ash said, regaining her attention. He smiled, "You were always ready for fun, and I love that about you!"

A pink color tinted Iris's cheeks, "T-That's nice of you to say, Ash,"

Ash raised an eyebrow at her and gave a small laugh, "You're such a kid, Iris."

"What?! No I'm not! You're the little kid!" Iris shot back, with a playful smirk as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"So what, little kid or not, I want to train my Pokémon now, where's Pikachu?" Ash asked as he pushed his blanket aside.

"What no! A-Ash yo-you can't leave now!" Iris panicked, stopping Ash as he was about to pull a wire out and forcing him to lie back in bed. "The doctor has to see you first."

"Aww man," Ash whined, resting his head on the soft pillow with a frown on his face. "I'm tired of all this... the doctor, the medicine, the hospital ugh all of it…"

"And you're calling me a little kid." Iris rolled her eyes at him. "By the way, why did you tell me to meet you by the fountain yesterday? And why'd you make me wear this," she indicated to the dress by pulling at the crème colored material in what almost looked like displeasure. "You know how much I hate wearing dresses."

Ash gazed upon Iris's crème colored dress and her long royal purple hair that was styled into a neat and sleek ponytail. "Why? Because…w-well you look cute in it." He answered, giving the only answer he could come up with.

"Ash…" Iris said, as she felt blush warm he cheeks at his complement. But quickly, to cover up the blush, Iris added "I'm serious. Why did you make me wear it?" she said in a tone that was firm but with a hint of playfulness.

"You seriously don't remember?" Ash laughed. "Ten years ago you moved to Pallet town. And that means we have been friends for ten whole years!" Ash added, grinning at Iris. "I can't believe I have endured with you for so long."

"Hey! I think I should be the one saying that!" Iris pouted jokingly, punching Ash playfully on his arm. "So, since it's our ten year anniversary of our friendship, whatcha get me?" she asked excitedly, knowing that every year she would give Ash a gift and he would do the same.

"Oh, I think my mom has the gift." Ash sheepishly answered, "But I make sure she gives it to you, Iris,"

"Okay, in that case, here's my gift," Iris said holding out a rather large rectangle object that was wrapped in wrapping paper with a various kinds of berries printed on a blue background.

Ash grinned, Iris's gifts were always the best and since this was his tenth one from his best friend it he couldn't help but be intrigued about what was inside. "What is it Iris?" he questioned as he shook it up and down.

"Careful, Ash," Iris warned, "It took me forever to put it together,"

"That's just makes this gift twice as good!" Ash exclaimed as he started to rip the paper off like it was Christmas.

"I hope you like it, best friend!" Iris beamed as the last of the berry printed wrapping paper was removed from the gift.

"Wow, Iris is awesome!" Ash said, for what he held in his hand was a picture frame that was just the right size to vividly display the collage of pictures.

Pictures that had been taken over the years of the two's ten year friendship, there were ones when they were little, ones when they in the middle school years and even pictures that were from the present day. But the one that caught Ash's attention the most was the oldest picture that was on the frame, the edges of the photo were a bit crinkled and torn showing, that it had faced the elements of time and all, but even so it still captured the wide grins that were one his and Iris's happy five year old faces. For this was the picture that his mom had taken the day after Iris had moved to Pallet Town, and of course after he collapsed after that race. The picture was adorable; Iris had her arms around him in tight hug as she winked at the camera while he had one arm around Iris's shoulder while he used the other to reach up high over Iris's pigtail hairdo to make bunny ears over her head with his fingers.

"I still can't believe your mom kept that picture after all this time," Iris stated as she admired the gift she had given. Grinning she added, "We sure were cute back then," but then she blushed, "er I-I mean cute in a little kid fr-friend kinda way, hehe."

"Yup, Mom would always say we were 'absolutely adorable together'," Ash recalled his mother saying as he fixed his amber eyes on the photo, not even noticing how a red color tinted his z marked cheeks. Looking up at his purple haired friend he gave a big smile, "I love the gift Iris, thanks you're the best!"

Iris blushed even more, she fiddled with her fingers, "I'm glad you like it Ash I-OH!" she was cut short when Ash lunged forward and pulled her into a hug. The purple haired teen squeaked as her face burned at the sudden contact of her best friend…well the best friend she was attracted to.

Pulling away Ash returned his attention to his gift, "I'll look at your gift everyday Iris, and remember this day and all our other days of friendship forever!" he held the frame of picture close to his chest.

"That's great Ash," Iris said, mad a face of confusion. "But what do you'll _remember_ our friendship, Ash? I mean neither of us are going anywhere,"

Ash 's smile faded a bit, he darted his eyes up at her, "Um well…I just said that because…um what I mean was…I want to remember everything since… this week is my last week here in Pallet, after all."

"WH-WHAT?!" Iris shouted, jumping up from her chair and clutching her chest as if the comment was a knife to the heart. "As-Ash y-you're leaving?!"

"Uh, yeah," Ash responded he turned his amber eyes back towards the smiling faces of the pictures in the frame that he held. "I mean…since I'm obviously not able to start on a Pokémon journey yet, I'm going to attend a Poke Academy to get more knowledge." He reasoned with a shaky smile, "It'll come in handy when I start travelling with you, Pikachu and Axew."

Iris just stood there her mouth agape, slowly her knees buckled and she lowered herself back in her chair, hands still at her chest, she closed them into tight fist. _'No…it's bad enough that Ash has heart problem…now he just can't leave me, not after those ten years we spent together!'_Iris squeezed her eyes close to prevent any tears to form in her tear ducts, _'No…no, NO! There's just no way I'm going to let Ash slip away like this…but he has a point he can't go on a Pokémon journey not in his condition…but then maybe…well I-I could…'_

"I-Iris?" Ash asked, hoping that he hadn't hurt her by the sudden news. "I promise I'll keep in touch with you, I'll call, write you letters I'll-"

"No, it's okay Ash, there's no need for you to do that," Iris suddenly said, opening her eyes and lowering her hands. She then stood and gave him a determined look, "That's because…I've decided thatif you're going Ash, then I'll come along too! We made a promise after all."

"Yeah, a promise to travel together, not attending some school together," Ash reminded her. "And besides, you'll never get in. Your grades are not high enough."

"And how do you know?" Iris crossed her arms.

"I know you better than anyone," he replied with a grin. "You can't even come close to beating my straight A's!"

Iris pouted at him. He may was pretty dense for his age, but at school he was surprisingly bright. "Oh yeah? I'll show you, just you wait!" Then she bended over his bed and pushed the small red button near his bed.

And seconds later the room was filled with doctors and even more nurses. Delia and Pikachu also entered the room after the health professionals, hope filling both of their faces at the sight of Ash being awake and both him and Iris smiling brightly.


	4. Gift

**xXXx**

"Thanks for everything, Iris. I sincerely appreciate everything you've done for Ash," Delia said.

Ever since the doctors had given Ash his medicine, the raven haired teen had nodded off to sleep and his mother and best friend had left his room, to give him the peace and quiet he needed to get the proper rest he required. At the moment both of them sat on a bench outside the hospital, watching the various Pokémon play alongside their young trainers, the gorges sunset as a backdrop to the cheerful scene.

"Oh, Mrs. Ketchum, it's no problem, really," Iris smiled warmly back at her. "Being there for Ash whenever he needs, especially now that I know about his heart problem, is all part of the awesome job of being his best friend!"

Delia smiled at this. "I guess you're right," she let her voice fade off a bit as she looked down at the picture frame, the one that was full of the smiling faces of the dark skinned girl who sat beside her and her son, which Ash had given to her to hold onto until they got home, the wonderful gift made her heart melt. "I'm just glad Ash decided to go on that walk..."

Looking up at the women with auburn hair Iris gave a perplex look, "W-What do you mean?"

Mrs. Ketchum gave a small giggle, "I'm sorry, dear, I was just thinking out loud." Running a few fingers against the glass that separated her hand from the oldest picture in the frame, the one when Ash and Iris were five years old, she gently nudged the girl beside her and added. "I was just reminiscing on the day when I had taken Ash home after a little race accident and when he talked my ear off about how he met his new best friend in the forest, while on a walk. It was a little girl who came all the way for Unova and was named after a pretty purple flower."

Iris blushed, feeling foolish for not figuring out what Delia meant sooner. "Oh yeah, I remember that day…after you went home with Ash, after…well you know," she would rather not mention the race that resulted in Ash's fainting, but implying it did no harm. "I had asked Drayden what had happened to Ash, and all I got as an answer was that the topic was only for 'grownups'" she made invisible quotes with her fingers.

"Well since you're now a young lady Iris," Mrs. Ketchum stated with a wide grin, "I guess today was the perfect day for you to learn everything. I just want to thank you for taking the news so well."

Iris mustered up a faint smile, trying hard not to think about the shocking moment when the information about Ash's condition slapped her in the face, but even that worrisome pain still stabbed her sadden heart. Iris just couldn't deny that she was frightened for her raven haired friend.

"You're welcome Mrs. Ketchum," Iris said, "Like I said, being there for Ash is just all part of the awesome job of being his best friend." She then stood, and glanced at how the sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky. "But for now I better get going, I have some-"

"Wait, Iris! There is something I have to show you before you head home." The mother suddenly blurted, she stuck a hand in her purse and fished around in it for a moment before pulling out a piece notebook paper out. The paper was nicely folded, and Delia seemed to take caution when unfolding it. "Here, take a look. I found it while I was cleaning up in Ash's room. I'm not sure if it was meant to be private or not, but I think you would be the right person to at least have it."

Taking the paper Iris glanced at it. She assumed it might have been a letter that was addressed to her, but never got sent, but surprisingly what was scribbled on the paper was what looked like some sort of... list? Curiously the purple haired teen started to read it.

_Before I die, I want to..._

_1\. Have a real Pokémon battle_

_2\. Break a rule_

_3\. Read a book - And I mean a REAL novel_

_4\. Tell someone special about my feelings_

_5\. Have a day where I don't have to worry about anything_

_6\. Catch my second Pokémon_

_7\. Become a Pokémon Master_

"Yeah, I can totally see Ash writing this," Iris giggled, but then smiled; a determined look gleamed in her chocolate brown eyes. "And since this is what Ash really wants, I'm going to make sure that he will do everything on here before you know it!"

"Re-Really?" Delia asked curiously and a tad shocked. "B-But he's going to attend that Poke Academy on Monday. There really won't be any time to-"

"Don't worry Mrs. Ketchum; I'm already way ahead of ya!" Iris said happily, jabbing her thumb at her chest. "Because I'm going to attend that Poke Academy too!" she giggled at Delia's shocked expression. "And that's why I'm going straight to the library to study. Bye Delia, and tell Ash I said bye as well!"

"Good luck, sweetie!" Delia called after Iris as she ran off. "Do your best!"

**xx**

_'There…that's the last books I'll need,'_ Iris thought as she pulled out a thick, green book. Bold letters spelled 'Poke Health' on its cover. Normally Iris couldn't stand reading, but in order to attend the Poke Academy with Ash she had no choice but to study. She added the book in her large collection of books and wiped her forehead.

Iris glanced shortly at her clock, and then her eyes widened when she realized how late she was. She promised Drayden to be home by 8.00 PM, and now she was three whole hours too late!

"Darn, it! Daddy's gonna kill me!" Iris groaned as she sloppily grabbed her pile of books and dashed towards the library's check out desk in record time, despite the books miserable weight.

After the teen with purple hair borrowed the books, she stepped out of the cozy library and strolled into the dark night streets of Pallet Town. Iris inhaled the fresh night air and gazed up at the sky, it was full of twinkling stars and it brought a smile to her face as she peacefully walked forwards. Her thoughts wandered off to Ash, the Academy and what the future would bring.

A gentle touch on her shoulder stopped her from walking, and also interrupted her thoughts. Iris spun around, only to stand face to face with a strange-looking guy. He had a cap down over his face, a baggy old looking gray hoodie and shoulder-length greasy blonde hair.

Iris blinked at him. "Um, m-may I help you, sir?"

The guy smirked creepily under his cap. "Actually I am the one who should help you that question," he replied in a raspy voice. "Those books look really heavy for a girl like you. Why won't you let me help you carry them home?"

Iris, preferring to do everything by herself, frowned at this. "No thanks. I'll be fine." She shrugged his hand off her shoulder and quickly brushed past him.

With that said, Iris continued her way down the street, but as she went her sixth sense made her feel that she being followed. Iris being Iris, always trusted her extra sense, so she listened and let her other five go to work but even so Iris's impeccable senses weren't picking up the sound of footsteps or anything suspicious but Iris still couldn't shake her uneasy feeling, so she picked up her pace. Unfortunately not long after she rounded a few corners Iris bumped into someone, her head making contact with something rather hard, wincing pain Iris staggered back and looked up.

Before her stood the same guy, hoodie and all, still grinning creepily at her. "Now, there's nothing to be afraid of, sexy chick." He said, in a sly tone as he looked her up and down. "I won't bite."

Iris felt a red flag pop into her head; her sixth sense was screaming at her she had to get out of here, _now_! The purple haired teen dropped the books, scattering them across the ground, and was about to break into a run, but before a step could even be taken, two strong arms wrap around her, and pulled her forwards so she was pressed against the arms owner's chest. The nauseating stench of two week old pizza, and musty body odor drifted around her nose, as Iris tried to pull back. But that was no use; the guy was much stronger than her and as if the tight squeeze wasn't uncomfortable enough, one of the book's, that hadn't fallen from her hands, and was sandwiched between her and her holder, edges was practically stabbing her breast, making the purple haired girl bear her teeth in pain.

"Le-Let me go," she managed to say, trying to hide the fact that her heat was now racing with utter most fear.

"Let you go?" the guy repeated, leaning down and hissed in Iris's ear he added. "Why would I do that…you're just too irresistible in that sexy dress."

Iris inwardly cursed Ash for making her wear such a thing, but she didn't have time to complain about it. "Let go of me, jerk! I-If you d-don't…I-I'll s-scream!" Iris threatened as she squirmed, only to get squished closer to the creeper.

"Why do you gotta be so whiny?" the guy asked, with a faint chuckle. "All you gotta do is come with me, it'll be fun…promise."

Iris felt her heart leap up into her throat as she could feel his arms wander around her back, making an attempt to unzip her dress; "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed.

Using whatever strength she could muster up, Iris pulled back, clutched the book in her hands and swung it as hard as she could at the guy in front of her. There was a loud smack as it made direct contract with the guy's face!

The guy stumbled backwards, holding his face, and shot her an infuriated glare.

"I-I told yo-you I'd scr-scream," Iris stammered out, as she backed away, only to trip over one of the dropped books, and stumbled backwards and fall over on her backside.

Smirking creepily at her the guy slowly advanced towards Iris, "You may have screamed but, it looks like it did you no good, now to prevent that from happening again…" he reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a red handkerchief.

Iris felt around blindly for any book she could throw if the guy got any closer. Grabbing one of the thicker books, Iris held it over her head, ready to let it fly at any given moment. "S-Stay back!" She demanded trying to keep her voice from trembling.

Sure this form of defense felt pretty pathetic and humiliating, but Iris knew she didn't stand a chance against him. No matter how fast she ran there was a strong possibility that he would catch up to her again, and if this creeper grabbed her, there was no way she could break free, he too strong for her and to make matters worse there wasn't a tree nearby she could climb and hide in! What was she going to do?!

She panicked and threw the book as hard as she could, but due to her untamable fear, her accuracy was off and it flew right over the guy's shoulder and into the darkness of the street.

"You thought that would work again, did ya?" he sneered, "well not this time, you're coming with me,"

Knowing there was nothing else to Iris lost it, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed in utter most fear as she squeezed closed her eyes and held up her arms to shield her face. But just as she felt his grubby hands latch onto one of her wrist and the handkerchief was about to be tied around her mouth, a loud noise broke through the night air.

"YOU HEARD HER, WEIRDO! KEEP AWAY FROM HER IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!" A familiar voice shouted from behind.

The voice was suddenly followed by a barrage of books, the ones that had been spilled in panic; each one sailed over Iris's head and collided with the creeper who stood over Iris. He cried out as the impact of the reading material took him to the ground.

Completely shocked Iris turned, wondering where the shout came from and who had thrown those books but she was quickly given an answer when, from the shadows, Ash came and dashed out in front of her, his arms out to protect his purple haired friend. Iris felt all her fear drain away at the sight of her best friend coming to her rescue, however, in his heroism Iris could see her friend had pushed himself to his limit while running to save her. His head was lowered as choppy, uneven breaths could be heard filtering in and out of his lungs, each sounding harder to take in than the last.

Seeing the dilemma Iris immediately scrambled to her feet and pulled his arm. "As-Ash, no! Think about your h-heart condition!"

"Tha-That's not…i-important ri-right now," he snapped back at her between his labored breaths. He tried to stifle a groan as he squeezed one eyes shut in hopes to subdue the sudden burst of pain in his chest, slowly he continued. "I-I… h-heard you scr-screaming and I knew y-you needed help…an-and I-I'm not gonna let m-my condition… st-stop me from p-protecting you from some cre-creeper….I g-got this, Ir-Iris."

The guy was furious, not only had this little punk pegged him with books, he had ruined his chance at getting the pleasure he so much desired. After adjusting his cap, he glared at the panting boy before him, "You gonna pay for that shrimp," he growled before pulling a pokeball out of the pocket of his hoodie. "Go, Nidoking!" he threw the red and white sphere in air and in a flash the large purple poison type stood before its master and roared its name.

Iris cowered behind Ash at the sight of the large spiny Pokémon, sure ice types were her biggest fear, but she was majorly doubting that she and Ash, due to his certain state, that they could outrun that thing, especially with that creepy blond guy as it's owner. Swallowing hard, Iris closed her fingers around Ash's forearm and nervously whispered, "Um…y-you didn't ha-happen to bring P-Pikachu did you, Ash?" She was hoping that he had since Axew was at home under the watch of Drayden.

Out of all the times to leave Pikachu at home, was the sentence Ash would have used to answer Iris's question, but he was unable to speak. For at the moment he couldn't fight the urge to double over, hands on his knees, continuing to suck in as much air as he could as the sound of his fast beating heart pounded in his ears. His heart which was stinging and burning every ten or so heartbeats was almost too hard to bear. But Ash knew he couldn't let this take him down, quickly he shook his head to keep the lingering feeling of dizziness from taking over, besides the absolute last thing he needed was keel over while trying to confront this creeper.

The guy, now surrounded by an even eerier aura, gave a hiss like sounding chuckle, "Don't have a Pokémon, I see, shrimp." a smirk curled on his lips as he directed his comment to Ash.

"Y-Yeah…I-I guess no-not," Ash stammered out, pulling his clenched hands from his knees and forcing his fatigued body to straighten up, despite that he was still a bit winded from running and his heart was pounding even faster, now that a threat of a huge Pokémon was before him. Even so he made sure to stand his ground; he had to make sure the distance between the creeper and Iris where still at a reasonable length.

"Si-Since we don't have Pokémon," Iris spoke up as she gave a feeble attempt to look intimidating, not even noticing how she was trembling, "it wouldn't make any sense to attack two defenseless teens, right?"

Smirk widening, the stranger answered, "Well…it wouldn't be right…but then again a lot of things I do aren't right, and besides this shrimp here is standing in the way of what I want, so," he turned to his powerful Pokémon, "Nidoking, Hyper beam, now!"

With it's given command, the purple poison type charged energy into a white orb in it's mouth "Niiidoo-KING!" it declared as the beam of white energy sizzled through the air, towards the two teenagers.

Iris couldn't help but let a squeal of fear escape from her chest as she stood frozen in fear, eyes wide, not even being able to brace herself for the oncoming pain, but there was no need to brace herself. Because one second she was standing behind Ash, who was still struggling to recover from the running, and the next second she was on the ground. Flat on her back, the hard unforgiving pavement scraped at her bare arms and legs as she skidded in the dirt, she tumbled and rolled once or twice but finally she came to a stop, groaning she slowly opened her eyes. Naturally, after such a fall, Iris would have taken the chance to look herself over, but that chance as taken from her when she bolted up in a sitting position, as a heard a loud cry filled the empty street.

Her eyes opened wide, with fear, "ASH!" she screamed, begging, pleading, and praying that whatever she was thinking wasn't true. Ash, her friend in which she spent ten years of wonderful friendship with and of course her crush, couldn't have been hit with that attack. Tears threatened to form in her eyes but before one was large enough to slip down her cheek, a soft groan resounded in her ears.

Her head snapping to the right, Iris was washed with a wave of relief as she happily blink away the tears to see Ash laying on the ground, a few inches from her. His hat had toppled from his head and his z marked cheek was pressed against the dirt covered ground as he breathed in an evener and more controlled pace than before. Slowly Ash pushed himself up, sat on his knees, coughed a few times, looked up at Iris and gave her with a weak smile. "You okay?" he asked.

Iris nodded slowly, "Y-Yeah I'm fine," a hand was at her chest, feeling her own heart slow as she recovered from the shocking thought, of Ash being hit, dwindling away.

"G-Good to hear," Ash stated, but then looked around confused, "by the way, were did that scream come from-"

But before Ash could even finish that thought, he was answered by the same voice, screaming: "MY CAR! MY BEAUTIFUL CAR! NOOO!"

Turning Ash and Iris witnessed a rather humorous scene. There standing in the middle of the street was a distressed Officer Jenny, anime tears gushing out of her eyes, at the sight of her portal car which had a giant hole, shot right through the middle by that Nidoking's Hyper Beam!

"WHO WOULD DARE DO THIS TO AN OFFICER?!" Officer Jenny bellowed, eyes ablaze with anime flames, as she turned and scanned the area. She then turned and spotted the creeper, who stood pale faced and terrified at what the missed Hyper Beam attack had done. "YOU!" the policewoman turned and pointed an accusing finger at the creeper and the poison type Pokémon, her face growing red with anger. "FIRST IT WAS SHOP LIFTING, THEN IT WAS TERROIZING THE GIRLS IN TOWN AND NOW YOU'VE GONE AND DESTROYED MY CAR! YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE MISTER, THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GETTING AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME!"

"Damn it," the guy cursed before turning and breaking into a run, Nidoking hot at his heels.

"OH, NO YOU DON'T! I'VE BEEN LOKING ALL OVER PALLET TOWN FOR YOU FOR WEEKS! YOU'RE NOT GETTING OFF THE HOOK THAT EASY!" The green haired women screamed as she chased after the wanted criminal, she pulled out two pokeballs, "Let's go Arcanine!" in a flash two large tiger like Pokémon appeared, they both growled their names as one took off after the creeper while Officer Jenny mounted the other one and joined the chase. As the officer raced pasted the two teens she called over her shoulder. "You two better head home, I've got this covered." She then continued, yelling after the person she was perusing.

"Well…it seems like Officer Jenny has everything under control," Ash sheepishly said, as he slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off, he then smiled down at his friend and held out a hand to help her up. "Are you sure you're okay, Iris?" Ash asked when she stood beside him.

"Well duh!" Iris smiled back at him and held out her arms. "Do I look injured to you?"

"Um…well," Ash sweatdropped as he glanced at Iris's overall appearance at the moment.

A few scrapes stood out on her dark skin from the impact of him pushing her out of the way of the Hyper Beam. Her long purple ponytail hairdo, which was once neat and tidy, was now disheveled, a few strands fell lose into her face, hiding most of her left eye from his view. The material of Iris's crème colored dress was now dirt stained and a tad tattered, and Ash could help but blush and look away at how most of Iris's leg was exposed due to the rip running up the side of the dress.

Seeing this as well Iris fiddled with the material, blushing and trying to act like nothing was wrong she responded, "A-Ash I'm fine, be-besides shouldn't I b-be asking you if you're okay?" she asked.

"You don't have to worry about me Iris. I'm okay."

"Are you sure, I mean you just got out of the hospital this afternoon and, when you ju-jumped in front of me panting and all, I-I thought you were going to have another h-heart-"

"Iris, I said I'm fine!" the raven haired teen suddenly snapped, a frown overtaking his face. "Just because I have this heart problem doesn't been I can't look after my friend!" he turned and faced the ground. "This is why I didn't feel like telling you anything…it hasn't even been 24 hours yet since you've learned about my heart condition and you're already worrying about me…"

Ash heard Iris gasp, "N-No, no Ash that's not w-what I meant!" he felt Iris's small a hand rest on his shoulder, looking up he saw his friend, biting her lip in what could only be regret, for what she just said. "I'm sorry, maybe I-I wouldn't be worrying if I hadn't been such an idiot, trying walk home alone this late at night…"

"It's okay Iris, I'm not mad at you," Ash said, gently removing her hand off his shoulder. Yes he was disappointed, knowing that Iris would now always look at him with the burden of his heart problem on her mind, but being mad wouldn't do anything but bring his heart rate back up. Besides, anyone would have reacted that way, heart condition or not, if he stood in the way of a creeper and his Nidoking.

"All I wanted to do was get a few books from the library," Iris's voice broke into his thoughts, "but if I hadn't lost track of time, that creeper guy wouldn't have gotten in my way-"

"And your dress wouldn't be ruined," Ash added.

Iris rolled her chocolate brown eyes, "I could care less about my dress right now," Iris stated, knowing that she wanted nothing more than to rip the thing off and change into more comfortable clothes as soon as she got home. "I'm more concerned about are these books," she indicated to the ground, that was scattered with the hard cover and soft covered reading material, "I wouldn't want to pay for them all to get replaced if they get ruined."

"Here, let me help you carry all those books home, Iris" Ash offered.

Iris gave a kind smile, "Ash you already done so much I-"

Ash didn't allow her to finish though, for he had already stooped down picked up half of the books, grinning happily. His friend, once again, rolled her eyes, and gave a small smile, as if to say thank you, before scooping up the rest in her arms. Smiling at each other, the two of them walked, books in their arms, peacefully side by side down the street, the moon lighting up the way for them. Silence filled the empty space between them for a few minutes before Iris spoke.

"You know Ash, that was very brave of you," Iris said as she nudged him with her elbow.

Ash flashed his goofy grin, "Aw, it was nothing!"

"Don't be so modest," Iris insisted. "I don't many people who would stand in the way of creeper like that…well f-for the likes of me…"

Ash's eyes widened, he couldn't believe that Iris would say that, "Iris, I'm sure anyone else had heard you scream, they come to save you," he nudged her back, "beside who wouldn't want to help a pretty girl like you?" as the words left his mouth, Ash couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed at what he had said and he felt his face get warm at the sight of the surprised and flattered expression that came upon his purple haired friend's face.

"Oh…thanks Ash I-I…um yo-you really t-think that I-I'm…w-well…" Ash could see that Iris was fiddling with her words, as if trying to figure out how to say something, but what he mostly noticed was the tint of pink that appeared on her cheeks.

"What?" Ash questioned.

Iris bit her lip and then just shook her head, the messy ponytail bouncing with the moment, "N-No forget it…never mind…"

"Oh, come Iris tell me,"

"I-I'd rather not, besides we're at my house,"

Looking around Ash found that he now stood at the walkway that led up to Iris's house. "Oh, right I guess we are," he said as he followed Iris towards the porch.

"Thanks for walking me home, Ash," Iris said as the climbed up onto the porch.

"No need to thank me, it's what good friends do," Ash responded with a grin.

"I guess so," Iris said giggling. "Now if you don't mind, I'll take my books now," she held out her arms to receive the books that Ash held.

"Um sure," Ash said, but instead of handing them to her, the raven haired boy placed them down on the porch, "but before I do, I need to give you something,"

"Give me something?" Iris repeated placing her arm full of books next the ones Ash previously held. "I didn't leave something at your house from the last time I was there, did I?"

Ash laughed, "No! Come on, Iris don't tell me you forgot again!"

Iris pouted in annoyance, "F-Forget I didn't f-forget anything…I-I just well…" she hated to be proved wrong but no matter how much she racked her brain she could figure out what Ash was implying. Heaving a sigh of defeat, Iris muttered, "Okay, what did I forget?"

"Your gift! You know the one for the ten year anniversary of our friendship?" Ash said poking her forehead, as if that would jog her memory.

Iris face lit up with blush, from embarrassment for letting that slip her mind for the second time that day, and with a huge grin. "Oh yeah, my gift! But didn't you say your mom was gonna give it to me?"

"Yeah…but she said I should give to you, it'll be more personal that way!" Ash stated. He then reached into his pocket and looked up at Iris with a sheepish grin. "Um, I really didn't have time to wrap it like you did with the picture frame you gave me…so um do you mid closing your eyes, Iris?"

"I expected that much from a little kid like you," Iris teased, as she placed one hand over her eyes.

"Okay, now no peeking," Ash said as he pulled the gift from his pocket and then reached out for Iris's free hand.

He felt Iris flinch at the sudden contact, "Ash wh-what are you doing?"

"Just hold on," Ash said, as he gently slipped what was in his hand onto Iris's wrist. "Alright you can look now, Iris."

Blink open her eyes, Iris glanced around for a second wondering where the gift was until she was startled when Ash held something in front of her face. It was something small and round and was constructed out of red, blue and gold beads all of different shapes and sizes. It was a bracelet, Iris squinted at it because for some odd reason it seemed like she had seen it somewhere before. It wasn't until something shiny caught her eyes did she remember, because dangling from the bracelet was a silver pendent. A pendent, a sliver one, that took the shape of a heart, well more specifically half of a heart.

"A-Ash!" Iris gasped as a hand flew over her mouth in pure shock.

"You remember these don't you Iris?" Ash inquired, grinning happily, as he pulled the bracelet onto his wrist. "It's my friendship bracelet, you know, the ones we made when we were little!"

"Yes…I-I remember but I-I…" Iris stuttered as she gazed down at her own, wrist were her own bracelet was displayed, gleaming in the moonlight.

Her bracelet was also made out of beads, but unlike Ash's whose beads were all mismatched shapes, the ones on her bracelet were all heart shaped beads. The beads colors were sparkly pink, a sky blue with a swirl pattern on it, and purple that had white spots on it, the heart shaped pink, blue and purple followed that pattern as they looped around the stretchy band that held them together. The only thing about Iris's bracelet that was similar to Ash's was the little silver half heart pendent that dangled from it.

"Ash…how did you get these…? I-I mean th-thought our frie-friendship bracelets were gone fo-forever," Iris stammered looking up at her friend. "I mean after that time I went to your house, all those years ago, and we went to play treasure hunters in your attic…"

Her voice had died off but that was all Iris needed to say for both of them to think back on that day when Iris had come over Ash's house for a playdate and the two had climbed up in the attic to play.

**(Flashback norm POV 9 years ago)**

Up in in the box cluttered attic of the Ketchum's home two little six years sat in their makeshift fort, made from blankets, pillows and the surrounding boxes. Despite the bright ray of sunshine that filtered through the wide window, causing the plentiful amount of dust that drifted throughout the attic's atmosphere, to have it's effortless dance to be visible. Not that anyone was watching the dust's movements, since the raven haired boy was currently standing before the fort, a frown on his face as he continued the argument with his purple haired friend who sat on the blankets, arms crossed, not budging one bit to compromise.

"Come on Iris, you gotta take it off!" a six year old Ash said for fifth time, "We'll only use it for a little while and besides we can't be treasure hunters if we had no treasure to hunt!"

"I-I know but…" Iris softly mumbled, arms dropping into her lap as she stared down at the pretty bracelet she had made with her friend a few days ago. The bracelet wasn't only pretty, with its heart shaped beads of vibrant colors, but it was one of her most valued possessions. It was her friendships bracelet and to remind her that Ash and her would be friends forever she wore it all the time like Ash did. "What i-if something goes wrong and…we c-can't find th-them later?"

"Don't worry Iris, we'll find them, that's the whole point of treasure hunting!" Ash reasoned as he pulled off his blue, red and gold beaded bracelet. "Besides I'll just hide them behind those boxes." He pointed towards the far corner of the attic were a tower of boxes, which bulged with unused junk, sat. "And after we count to 100 we'll just go get it 'em!"

Iris hesitated, it seemed safe, there was no way she or Ash could forget their friendship bracelets if they were just put behind those boxes. And besides counting to 100 didn't take that long, and it did sound fun to play treasure hunters. "Okay…fine," Iris said, and with a small gulp of worry she held out her wrist, allowing Ash to strip her wrist of her special bracelet.

"Great," the little raven haired boy, with bracelets in hand, rushed over towards the boxes and reached his small hand behind them and allowed the friendship bracelets to clatter to the ground. "Now all we gotta do is count to 100!" Ash said as he returned to Iris and their fort.

With that the two friends started to count, each taking turns to say a number. While doing so, Iris squirmed in her place, staring at the boxes that her bracelet was hidden behind. Even though it had been a few mere seconds of counting it felt like in eternity!'

"97,"

"98,"

"99,"

"100!" Ash exclaimed, with a grin. "See that wasn't so bad, right Iris?"

"I guess not," Iris admitted as she hoped to her feet, "but now that were done, I want my bracelet back!"

With that Iris dash over towards the boxes towering in the corner, with such desire to get her bracelet back that she wasn't even aware of the floorboard that was poking up beneath her feet.

Remembering that his mother warned them to be careful of that pesky loose floorboard, Ash cried out "Iris, wait the floor-"

But his words didn't leave his mouth fast enough because in less than ten seconds the worst happened. Iris tripped on the loose piece of wood, she let out a yelp of shock as she tumbled forwards and collided with a nearby chair which rammed right into a miniature bookshelf, then into a large painting and before either of them knew it, a domino effect was created!

"Oh n-no they're gonna fall!" cried Ash as the falling objects had reached the corner of the room and now was causing the pile of boxes to wobble in a dangerous way. "We gotta move!"

"But our bracelets!" Iris exclaimed, she tried to move forwards but was yanked back by her friend as the boxes toppled to the ground.

"Ash! Iris! Are you two okay?!" asked a panic stricken Delia as she bolted up the stairs after hearing the loud crash from attic.

Her only response was the sound of coughing and sneezing from the cloud of dust that accumulated in the air as her son and his friend pulled themselves from the clutter that now was scattered on the floor. She smiled in relief but also due the humorous sight of how Ash and Iris were covered head to toe in dust, it littered their hair and stained their clothes, but she was just happy they seemed okay.

"What happened? Did playing treasure hunters get too out of hand?" Delia asked, helping the children from under all the stuff.

"Yeah, those boxes all fell over," Ash explained, before he gave a laugh, "That was fun! Let's do it again, Iris-" but as he turned to his purple haired friend he was startled to see that she had her face buried in her hands her shoulder trembling as he realized that she was crying.

"I-Iris, honey…wh-what's the matter?" the brown haired women asked, now bewildered at why tears were streaming down the girl's cheeks. "Are you hurt?"

"N-No…" Iris managed as she was pulled up into Mrs. Ketchum arms. "But m-my bra-bracelet…"

"Your bracelet?" Mrs. Ketchum repeated, in confusion.

"Iris why are you worrying about them?" Ash asked, since he felt no real attachment to his red, blue and gold piece of handmade jewelry, he didn't understand why Iris was crying, but then Ash gasped when realization hit him and the sensation of guilt formed in the bit of his stomach.

Iris's pretty bracelet, the one she had worked so hard on and adored so much, and the one that had the sliver pendant that matched his and told the world they were best friends was gone! Buried under all the random attic items that surrounded them, possibly never to be seen again, and it was all his fault!

"I-Iris…please d-don't c-cry, it'll be okay!" Ash insisted, trying to sooth his sobbing friend.

"N-No…it's n-not okay…they're gone! Our friendship br-bracelets a-are gone…g-gone for-forever!" Iris sobbed.

"No! There not gone! 'Cause I'm goona find them!" Ash stated to his distressed friend.

So for the rest of the afternoon the raven haired boy searched tirelessly through the attic, with the help of iris until it was time for her to go home, but even then he didn't give up. Ash looked for a week straight but was unsuccessful; it near impossible since it was just like trying to find a needle in a hay stack! Being fruitless in his efforts to find the two friendship bracelets sure was disappointing but it was nothing even close to the guilt he felt when he had to tell Iris that their bracelets were in fact gone forever. Watching her face crumple in sorrow and seeing the tears trial down her face was the worst thing Ash ever had to witness.

**(End of Flashback)**

"Ever since that day I've always felt guilty going up in the attic," Ash admitted and he rubbed the back of his head. "It was my fault for losing the bracelets."

"But I forgave you for what happened Ash," Iris said, sympathetically before reaching out and pulling Ash's wrist closer and then using her fingers she gently pressed the sliver half hearts together, mending them into one, so that they could both see the letters BFF that hadn't been seen in years. She smiled up at him, "iT's what friends do,"

"Yeah I know, but I still felt bad for a long time until I forgot about it…besides the only reason I found them was because I going through the attic, packing for the academy and all and looking for something I found them laying on the floor covered in dust and cobwebs," Ash said.

"Really, but they look brand new," Iris said letting the pendent dangle again as she admired Ash's bracelet, as she thought about how quickly a five year old Ash had his slapped his together, and then claiming that he had won, as if making the bracelets were race or something.

"Well I actually fixed 'em up," Ash admitted. He then pointed to the beads on Iris's bracelets, "It took me forever to find beads that matched your original bracelet, but now that I see how happy you are with it, it's totally worth it!"

"Ash, they look amazing, and look you even got the pattern, on mine, right!" Iris stated as she marveled at the beads pink, blue and purple pattern.

"I had to get that right, besides you were such a perfectionist back when we were kids," Ash said with a laugh, he then waited for Iris to give her usual remark of 'little kid' but instead he was tackled into a hug.

"Oh, Ash I love it! This is the best gift anyone has ever given me! You have no idea how much it means to me to be reunited with my special bracelet!" Iris gushed as she squeezed him tighter and tighter with each word that came from her mouth.

"Well that's why I'm your best friend Iris!" Ash said hugging her back, with a smile on his face, but just as quickly as the smile appeared on his face it abruptly disappeared when the front door suddenly swung open and in it's doorway stood Drayden with an irked expression on his face.

Ash sweatdropped, "Er um, I-Iris?" he smattered as he pulled away from their embrace.

Noticing that light, from the open door, that spilled into the dark night Iris turned and gave a nervous smile and gave a tiny wave of her hand at the tall white haired man before her, "Oh…um h-hi Daddy,"

Drayden didn't say anything at first, he just stared down at the two teens with his pale green eyes, until he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Iris Dragonlight…didn't I _specifically_ say not to stay out too late?"

"Um w-well ye-yes b-but-"

"Then why are you just getting home, _three_hours after your curfew?"

"It's be-because I w-was at-"

"And why are there all these books all over the porch?"

"I was at the lib-"

"Iris what in the world happened to your dress?! It completely-"

"Daddy!" Iris exclaimed, interrupting her father as she crossed her arms and pouted. "If you'd just let me speak, I'd tell you that I was at the library getting all these books so I could study and hopefully get into the same Poke Academy that Ash is going to, but while I was there I totally lost track of time and I was rushing to get home. And the only reason my dress looks like this is because I ran into this-MFTH?!" her explanation was cut short when Ash slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Iris I don't think telling Drayden about this creeper thing would be a good idea, unless you want him to wake up the whole town with his yelling," Ash whispered in her ear.

Iris sweatdropped, Ash was right about that; the last thing she wanted was for her Dad to get mad and make a big scene and totally embarrass her, which he had unfortunately done a countless amount of times, mostly in front of her crush to her dismay.

"You were rushing home and you ran into, what?" asked the white haired man with an arched brow.

"Er um…I-I'll tell you it um tomorrow…at breakfast, yeah!" Iris quickly said, "Besides, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Ketchum is expecting Ash home, right?"

Seeing that Iris was giving him the indication that he had to go, Ash nodded, "Right, I guess I'll home," he bounded off the porch and started down the walkway before adding over his shoulder, "See ya later, Iris!"

"Bye, Ash!" Iris said with a wave, "And thanks for everything!"

As the raven haired teen continued his stroll towards his house, Ash couldn't help but grin to himself as he wondered what Drayden's reaction would be when Iris told him about the whole creeper thing. Just the thought only made him laugh and he couldn't wait to get the full detailed description from his purple haired friend.


	5. Arrival

The hot sun shone brightly in the blue sky, which was dotted with a few fluffy clouds, all of which overlooked a certain raven haired teenage boy and his beloved Pikachu, scampering a few feet in front of him.

"Finally!" Ash sighed as he wiped his forehead. "The Poké Academy."

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped.

It had been a long day for the two of them. They had left home bright an early that morning, and while half awake, taken two long trains rides, and now they had just completed trekking up the large uphill the school was located at, all the while dragging his heavy suitcase along with him.

"Why would someone want to construct an academy on top of a large hill?" Ash asked, setting his suitcase down to give his sore arms a break from carrying it. "It seemed a bit unnecessary if you ask me."

"Pika pi." Pikachu agreed, as he leaped up onto his master's shoulder, needing a break from all the walking.

Ash and Pikachu stood there for a while, mostly to catch their breath, but also to taken in the image of the Poke-Academy Ash would be attending. Ash shaded his eyes with his right hand and looked up at the academy building. The school was large, surrounded by a high red brick fence. With the iron gates wide open, Ash calmly walked inside. Ash's eyes widened at the sight. The court yard had bright green grass which the students sat around and enjoyed themselves. A few piles of leaves from the trees littered the ground, and there were paths which lead into two different buildings. The main building was the academy itself, and the other one was probably the dorm building. The multiple lamp posts, which were placed by the edge of the paths and were designed in an old fashioned way but still looked stylish, had signs hanging from them, and displayed the direction in were the gym, cafeteria, library and other areas of importance. Ash was captivated by all the sights that he slightly startled when a water bottle suddenly appeared before his face

"Pi chu pika?" the little mouse said, offering the bottle to Ash.

Ash smiled at his companion. "Thanks buddy, but I'm not that thirsty right now." He said, pushing the bottle aside.

"Pika…" Pikachu pouted, giving a glare of annoyance as he pointed to the sky where the hot sun shone brightly above them.

Ash rolled his eyes, he didn't want to admit it, but Pikachu was right. It was a hot day outside and he needed to stay hydrated and all. "Alright fine." He took the bottle. "Geez, you're acting just like Mom." He muttered, opening the bottle and lifting it to his lips. Pikachu gave a satisfied smile.

After a bit more sight-seeing around the outside of the academy Ash and Pikachu proceeded in heading towards one of the large buildings. Seeing the words 'Main Office' printed in white lettering above one of the building's entrance the raven haired teen smiled enthusiastically and unfolded the note he had kept in his pant pocket. It was the informative paper he had received from the academy earlier this summer, and highlighted with a bright pink circle, courtesy of his mother so he wouldn't forget, was Ash's dorm number. "Room 405." he read out loud. "Come on, Pikachu! Let's go see what our dorm looks like!"

"Pika pika," Pikachu happily agreed, leaping from his shoulder running over to the building.

"Hey, wait up!" Ash called after the electric mouse, gripping the handle of his heavy suitcase, he made an attempt to run after his Pokemon, but he stopped short. As if to remind him, or to possibly scold him, his mother's words from the night before replayed in his mind.

**(Flashback)**

_"Are you sure you got everything, sweetie?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Toothpaste?"_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"Socks?"_

_"Got 'em"_

_"Extra underwear?"_

_"Mom!" Ash groaned, blushing at how his mother doting on him. "I got everything, I swear."_

_"That's what you said the last time I checked your suitcase." Delia pointed out as she picked up a disheveled pair of jeans and started to neatly fold them. _

_"Yeah, but this is the third time you've gone through my stuff." Ash grumbled under his breath, resting his cheek on his fist, and eyeing the neatly folded stacks of the clothes that once sat in his suitcase, which now sat empty on the living room floor._

_Having heard the comment she turned to him and placed her hands on her hips. "Ash, I'm just trying make sure you have everything you need."_

_"I know, but don't you think you're overdoing it, Mom?" he questioned, getting up from where he sat at the coffee table and starting to place the piles of clothes back in the suitcase._

_"As a mother, I have every right to overdo it!" The mother retoured, frowning as she turned to the list of things she had written for Ash to pack, to make sure everything was checked off. "You're going all the way to that Poke Academy and I just want to make sure my little baby-"_

_"Yeah, yeah, doesn't fall over and have another heart attack or something." Ash said, his voice sounding annoyed by the statement._

_"Well…yes." The mother admitted as her son turned and reached for another pile of clothes, but she stopped him, holding his shoulder, forcing Ash's amber eyes to meet hers. "I just want to make sure you're going to be safe."_

_"I'll be fine." Ash said, giving a small smile. "I mean, yesterday you had a three hour conversation over the phone with the principal about my condition and about how I need to take my medicine and all…" his voice trailed off as his smile faded. "The whole school probably knows about it now…"_

_"Ash everyone doesn't know, just the nurse and the school officials." The mother informed as her son sulked back to the couch. She sighed. "Sweetie, I you're embarrassed by it-"_

_"I'm not embarrassed." Ash clarified. "I…I just don't want the other students to know…" he frowned as he placed a hand on his chest, right over were his heart was located. "I mean, Iris practically freaked out when I told her about my heart problem and if everyone else were to find out…well it'll probably end up being like elementary and middle school all over again…"_

_Hating to see her son like this, Mrs. Ketchum pulled him in a hug. "Everything will be fine." She then smiled. "Just don't overdo it with the running."_

_Ash's eyes widen, no running, he couldn't live like that! "But Mom-"_

_"No buts, Ash. I know you have troubles with staying still, but at least try to not run if it's not absolutely necessary." The mother gave a weary smile. "Remember the hospital is not anywhere near to the Academy and I don't want an-anything t-to-"_

_"Okay, Mom, I won't run if I don't need to, promise." Ash said with a reassuring smile._

**(End Flashback)**

The cool rush of the buildings AC pulled Ash away from the event of last night as he entered. 'Thank Mew for AC, the sun baking me alive out there.' Ash thought, smiling at how the cold air felt like blessing on his slightly sweaty face.

"Well, aren't you just a cutie!" came a female voice.

"Pi chu!" Pikachu squeaked.

Ash looked only to see his Pokemon now in the arms of the receptionist lady who sat behind a big desk in the center of the big room. She wore business like clothing, a pair of glasses and had her aqua colored hair up in a bun, but even with her professional appearance the women looked rather childish, snuggling Pikachu to her face.

The raven haired teen sweatdropped and cleared his throat. The receptionist, noticing him, nervously laughed and released the electric mouse. Straightening up in her chair and adjusting her glasses, she gave kind smile. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, my name is Ash Ketchum. I'm here for my first day of school." The teen answered, Pikachu once again perched on his shoulder.

"Ash Ketchum, Ash Ketchum," the lady mumbled for herself, searching through a thick folder. "Ah, here it is," she says, pulling out a white piece of paper and a picture of him attached to the paper by a paper clip. The lady's eyes scan the paper while she's nodding and smiling. "Wow, your entrance test got one of the best results we had so far," she told Ash nicely.

"Really? That's awesome!" Ash cheered, pumping a fist in the air, but then quickly regret it. A wave of dizziness wash over him, forcing a groan from him as Ash held his head.

"Oh my! Are you alright?!" the receptionist asked.

Ash didn't answer right away; he lowered his hand and sighed as the discomforting dizziness slowly passed. "Y-Yeah, I'm okay…" he answered, inwardly cursing himself for forgetting that moving too fast after going from hot to cold usually resulted in dizziness, or in worse causes a terrible headache.

"Are you sure?" the lady asked, looking down at the paper and then back at him. "You did take your medicine today?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Ash blinked, apparently this lady knew about his condition, much to his dismay. "Um, yeah I took it this morning…" he answered.

"If you need to lie down the nurse's office is-"

"No I'm fine, now um I just kinda need to head to my room." Ash said, trying to change the topic.

"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as well.

The lady behind the desk weary laughed. "Of course, after all that traveling, you must want to go and unpack. I guess you already know your dorm number, so here's the key," she told him, handing him a silver key. "I hope you'll enjoy the academy."

"Thanks!" Ash grinned, happy to know that the receptionist didn't go on and on about his condition, like some teachers did back in his elementary school days. "Let's go see our new room, Pikachu!" And with that both of them set off towards the dorms.

"Wait, young man!" The lady yelled after them, standing up behind her desk. "You've headed into the girl's dorm! The boy's dorm is to the right!"

"Oh sorry," Ash sweatdropped as he jumped back. "My fault!" He apologized as he rushed past the lady and towards the boy's dorms.

The lady just shook her head with a smile. "That's going to be one interesting student." She said and went back to doing her work.

**xx**

"Man, I'm bushed. And after all that packing and unpacking with Mom last night, doing all over again is the last thing on my mine." Ash sighed as he flopped down on his new bed and hugged the pillow. "I'll do it later. For now I'll just get some shut eye."

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu scolded him, jumping up on the bed and attempting to pull off the same motherly look Mrs. Ketchum would give when Ash was acting lazy.

"I'll do it, promise," Ash said, he pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes. "I'm just tired because all the travelling."

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled, he pushed the hat away from his master's face; a worried expression was on his small face.

"Pikachu I'm fine." Ash reassured the electric mouse, but that didn't seem to change anything. "The dizziness passed a while ago and I'm feeling 100% okay." He grabbed his hat and replaced it over his face. "Geez, you're acting like just like Mom. Chill out a little." Ash told him as he closed his eyes to rest.

Pikachu pouted angrily as he jumped up in front of Ash. "Pika- Chuu!" The mouse Pokémon cried as he let out a thunderbolt, a small one to not irate his heart condition, right at his lazy trainer.

Ash cried out in pain as he tumbled off the bed and slumped to the floor, sparks leaping from his body. "Pikachu! What was that for?!" Ash helplessly demanded.

"Pika pika chu pi! Pika!" Pikachu explained, pointing towards the floor.

"Oh, the suitcase? I have it right-" Ash started, but then stopped, eyes widening as he realized the piece of luggage was nowhere in sight. Jumping to his feet, he looked frantically around. "Where's my suitcase!? I swear I had it when we first arrived here. We have been robbed!"

Pikachu sweatdropped. "Pika chu, pika," he then said as he pointed towards the door.

"Oh, I forgot it downstairs by that office lady?" Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Well, let's go find it, then." And with that, both of them set off to search for his suitcase. After rushing down the stairs and avoiding colliding with the students in the hallway, they were back to where the receptionist lady was. She looked up and smiled warmly at the two. "Is there something wrong, you two?"

"Well," Ash sheepishly said. "I think I forgot my suitcase here."

"Your suitcase?" The lady tapped her pencil at the wooden desk as she looked thoughtful for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, I think the Principal's daughter came and picked it up. You may find it back at the Principal's office."

"Oh, okay," Ash replied shortly. "Where is his office?"

"Enter the main building, go to the right and you'll see it right away. But there are signs everywhere, so you will find it anyway."

"Thanks!" Ash said with a smile and walked out of the building.

The sun was still shining, and the temperature was now higher than earlier. Ash wiped his forehead once again and inhaled slowly. Warm temperatures has always been a pain for him, mostly because of his heart condition. But there was no way that was going to stop him. He and Pikachu slowly followed the path, enjoying the view, but a sudden push from behind sent him stumbling forward in surprise.

He was about to yell at the person behind him, but once he saw who it was he gasped in surprise. "Wh- what are YOU doing here!?" He exclaimed, falling down in the process.

Standing over him a certain purple haired girl, smiled widely at him. "Told ya I would get into this academy!" Iris said proudly, with a playful wink.

Still shell shocked that his friend was here Ash just sat there and stared at her. That's when he noticed that Iris looked different. She sported a cherry blossom pink T-shirt, crisp white shorts and a white apron, dotted tiny pink pokeballs and in the back a big bow, the same shade of pink as her shirt, was tied. Her hair was also different, in fact it was styled in the same neat ponytail from the day she wore that pretty strapless pink dress, but that wasn't all, resting on the crown of Iris's head was a small nurse hat that had a pink plus sign in the middle.

Ash suspiciously looked at his friend's outfit, after a moment he rubbed the back of his head and asked. "Um, Iris…why are you dressed like a Nurse Joy if you're a student?"

"I never said I got in this academy as a student, silly!" Iris giggled as she outstretched a hand to help him up. With her friend on his feet she continued. "Because of my medicine skills, I got in as an apprentice for Nurse Joy! I'll be working as a nurse at this academy. It's only for a year, though. But that's enough for me, I guess."

"Bu- But, I th- thought…I...I mean y-you…what!?" Ash stuttered, making large hand movements as he looked troubled.

Iris frowned slightly at him. "Aren't you happy with me being here?" She asked quietly.

"Pika pikachuu!" Pikachu cheered happily as he jumped from Ash's shoulder and into Iris' arms. Iris hugged Pikachu back as she laughed happily. "It's good to see you too, Pikachu" she said.

Ash looked away from the two and looked up at a random thee. Iris, noticing that he wasn't paying attention to her, coughed slightly. "Umm, if you really didn't want me to come, then I wouldn't..."

"No, no, no Iris that's not it at all!" Ash cut her off, shaking his head multiple times. "I admit, I'm quite surprised you're here, but actually I'm really glad you made it. Of course you didn't beat my fantastic grades, but you eventually got here."

Iris arched an eyebrow, as if expecting a bit more from him.

"Look, I'm not trying to get away from you, Iris. If was, I would have left years ago. I'm just really surprised, okay? But, honestly I'm happy to see you." He flashed a grin and held out his arm, showing Iris his red, blue and gold friendship bracelet on his wrist. "After all, Iris you are my best friend."

Iris could help but smile back and steal a glance down at her own friendship bracelet, it hadn't been removed from her wrist since the moment Ash had reunited it with her. "Yeah, and as you friend I shouldn't be-oh!" Iris was cut short as Ash pulled her into a friendly hug; hugging him back Iris's blushed, enjoying every moment of being so close to her crush.

With his face hidden from Iris's view Ash let his smile fall from his face as words he wish he had the courage to say out loud played in his head. 'It's just that I know my days are numbered, and after I kept my heart problem a secret from you for so long…I don't want to hurt you more than I already have. That's one of the other reasons why I decided to come this Poke Academy. To put distance between you and I, just so you wouldn't have to suffer any more if something really bad happened to me...'

"Ash Ketchum?" A voice suddenly called from behind him, pulling Ash from his thoughts and causing him and Iris both to yank away from their hug in surprise.

Turning around, Ash saw that he was standing face to face with another girl. She had a pretty face with rosy cheeks, wavy blonde hair and sparkling ocean blue eyes. In fact, she looked like an angel, dressed in her simple knee-long white dress.

Ash blinked at her. "Um…have we met before?" He asked.

The girl laughed at this, brushing her hair from her face. "It's me, silly! Serena! Don't tell me you've forgot about me."

"Serena?" Ash repeated, rubbing his head. His eyes suddenly lit up and he smiled widely. "Oh yeah, Serena! From back then!"

"Bingo!" She winked at him. "You haven't changed a bit! You're just as dense, targeted and clumsy like always!"

"And how is everything going with you? Still the scared, little kid you used to be?" Ash laughed.

As both of them continued on talking, Iris and Pikachu exchanged a confused look. Neither of them have ever seen this blue eyed girl before, and both of them were quite surprised that Ash never told them anything about her before.

The girl, noticing Iris and Pikachu's confused looks, smiles warmly at them. "Who's this Ash? Your Pokémon and girlfriend? Looks like you prefer cute girls, riiight?" Serena slyly said as she nudged his arm.

"G-girlfriend? Cu- cute girls?" Ash repeated as his face flushed red. "Haha, whatcha talking about? She's the childhood friend I've told you about. Remember?"

"Oooh, Iris!" Serena's eyes lit up as she rushed towards Iris and grabbed her hands. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" She squealed, shaking her hands. "Ash talked nonstop you during his stay at the hospital."

"Hospital?" Iris repeated, confused, as she arched an eyebrow at her raven haired friend.

"You haven't told her?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Heheh, guess I forgot," Ash sheepishly said. "Iris, you remember that time went you went with Drayden to visit the Village of Dragons for week?"

"Yeah, I remember." Iris confirmed, thinking back to how hard it was to leave her best friend for an entire seven days. "But what does that have to do with the hospital?"

Well while you were gone, I had a small heart attack and my mom took me to the Kanto Children's Hospital and that's where I met Serena." Ash informed, indicated to the blonde girl. "When the doctors let me go and walk around the hospital a bit I bumped into her…and I think she was there because of a broken leg or something like that..."

"It was a broken arm, silly." Serena corrected as she shook her head, golden locks bouncing. "Don't you remember the whole story about how I fell off my mom's Ryhorn?"

"Oh yeah, I remember! You climbed up on Ryhorn's back while it was sleeping and you scared it so bad, that it bucked you right off!" Ash stated, thinking back on the day he had heard Serena explained the reason for the cast on her arm. "Anyways, after we met, Serena and I hung out all the time, well that is until she was well enough to go home."

Serena nodded and looked back at Ash. "Yeah, it was so much fun hanging out with you for those few weeks Ash." She then sweatdropped. "Even though the first few days I hardly said a word to you."

"You were so shy back then, Serena." Ash teased with a grin.

"Not any more, I've grown out of it!" Serena informed, sticking out her tongue in a playful way and then nudged Ash in the ribs. "Besides if I hadn't broken my arm we would have never met, and I'm not even sure if I would be here today. Back at elementary and kindergarten, nobody wanted to become my friend. Everyone thought was I weird, a miss know it all and a teacher's pet because I would always get good grades and answer questions right, and the kids at school always picked on me because of that. But when I met Ash, he told me to never give up and pursue my dreams. I went from being a scared girl, ashamed of my smarts, to a more confident one, who's happy to be so smart. And because of that, I'm here at my Mom's academy to more knowledge about Pokemon!"

"W-Wait your Mom's the principal?" Ash asked, surprised.

"Yup!" Serena said proudly as she turned to her long lost friend. "Besides the only reason I came to find you was because you left your suitcase is in my Mom's office.

"Oh, really thanks, Serena!" Ash grinned at her. "Will you show me the way?"

"Of course." She playfully replied, already walking off towards the main building. "See you later, Iris!"

"Yeah, later," Iris waved after them. "Just run after them, Pikachu," she told the electric mouse. "I have to go back to my own dorm, anyway."

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asked as he jumped down at the ground.

"Oh, where's Axew? That sleepyhead is still snoring away; after all it was a long journey to get here." Iris informed with a giggle. "When he wakes up I'll make sure bring him out later so you two can play, okay?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled as he dashed off towards his raven haired trainer. Iris watched him as he jumped on top at Ash's head, knocking off his cap in the process. Ash complained about that, but Serena just laughed.

Iris smiled a bit as she watch them go, but then shook her head as she remembered the whole reason for heading out of her dorm room in the first place. Reaching into her short's pocket Iris pulled out the neatly folded piece of paper Mrs. Ketchum had given her. The one with Ash's seven wishes scribbled on it.

"I gotta make sure Ash gets to complete every one of these wishes." Iris vowed to herself. "And since I'm going to be super busy being Nurse Joy's helper, I might as well get an early start."

1\. Have a real pokemon battle.

Iris frowned and rubbed the back of her head as she read the words over and over again.

This was a Pokémon Academy, so there should be a battle field somewhere near, but when she had arrived she hadn't seen on. She spotted a basketball court, volleyball pit and a football field, and they were all filled with students but there was not a single battle area in sight.

"Ugh, guess this is gonna be harder than I thought." Iris groaned.


	6. Battle

To have a Pokemon battle, Iris knew she had to find a battle area. Maybe there was one outside the school? Iris walked up to a tree and quickly climbed up. When she was at the top, she had an excellent view of the school campus and its surroundings. It was mostly trees around the academy, but then she spotted an empty clearing in the middle of some threes not so far away. Iris smiled happily as she looked back at the note.

"Alright, looks like completing Ash's first wish is gonna be a breeze!" Iris cheered.

"Hey, you up there!" a voice suddenly called. Startled Iris glanced around, her hand perched over her eyes to minimize the glare of the sun, but as scanned the surrounding area and the ground below she saw no one. The voice called out again. "Yeah, you in the tree, what you? Some sort of ninja or something?"

Iris blinked as she found that the voice was coming from behind. Craning her neck, the purple haired teen looked down only to see a guy leaning coolly in the shade of the tree she was perched in. Turning all the way around, so she could face the one who had spoken to her, Iris balanced herself as she looked this guy over. He seemed to be about her age, the guy had brown hair that he wore in a spiky sort of style and he wore casual clothing along with a pair of black tinted sunglasses over his eyes. Upon seeing him, Iris sweatdroped. His demeanor, the smug grin plastered on his face and the way gave that curt nod of his head at her as the grin widened into a smile. Without saying a single word this guy had already told her exactly who he was.

A player.

A heart breaker.

A jerk.

A guy that just wanted to get in a girl's pants.

The exact kind of a guy her father had warned Iris to keep her distance from.

**(Flashback)**

Drayden sat in living room of the hose, enjoying the peace and quiet as he read the book in his hands, when a loud squeal shattered the wonderful silence.

"THIS IS TOO CUTE"

Drayden sighed, knowing that it was voice of his beloved adopted daughter Iris. With the squealing and the overjoyed laughter from above his head, the white haired man knew that his reading couldn't be continued so he snapped the book closed and averted his attention to the stairs. He hesitated in calling up the stairs to see if everything was alright but his teenage daughter beat him to it.

"DADDY! You have got to see this I-WAH!" Iris's words were cut short with a yelp of fright, which was then quickly followed with the unpleasant thudding noise of the fifteen year old tumbling down the stairs. "Owie..." she moaned, lying face first on the floor, legs flailed in the air.

The white haired man chuckled at the amusing sight, "Iris, how many times-"

"Yeah, yeah I know. You've told me a thousand times not to run down the stairs." Iris said, picking herself up from the floor and checking for any bruises, and then like nothing had happened she hurried in front of the couch and struck a cutesy pose. "What do you think, Daddy? Do you like the outfit that the academy sent me?"

Drayden's answer didn't come right away; instead his pale green eyes surveyed the attire his daughter was currently wearing. The white shorts that where too short for his liking, the tight t-shirt that showed Iris's navel and drew too much attention to Iris's chest, which happened to be rather large for age, all of it caused a frown to form on his face.

Iris smile faded as her adopted father continued to stay silent. "You don't like it, do you?" Iris asked, arms dropping in disappointment.

"I never said that."

"Well, you haven't said anything, so I'm assuming that's what you mean."

"Iris, it's just…" the man started, but then pinched the bridge of his nose, not knowing what else to say without hurting the purple haired teen's feelings.

"It's just what?" Iris pressed, arms crossing over her large chest, which pulled the shirt up even father and exposing more of her flat stomach.

"It's that." Drayden finally said, waving a hand at Iris's midsection.

Iris, dropped her arms looked down, and then back up, confused. "What?" But then she then flushed. "Daddy…yeah I know my chest is…larger than most girls but, really? That's what you upset about?"

"No," Drayden said. "I'm upset…with all of it."

"Daddy!" Iris groaned.

"I mean look at what your wearing, Iris." Drayden got up and walked around Iris to get a better view, and he was even more off putted by how tight the shorts were in back. "The shorts or too short, and I'm pretty sure the shirt isn't supposed to show off your bellybutton, Iris." He tugged on the material as he stood in front of Iris.

The teen pulled away. "But, Daddy I'm going to be an assistant for the Nurse Joy at the Poke Academy, Ash is attending." Iris said, reminding her father of the paper that had come in a week before the outfit had, and that informed the both of them that Iris was going to be a Nurse Joy assistant instead of a student since her grades weren't high enough. "And this is the uniform they sent to me, and besides…this is how the clothes are supposed to look."

This comment only caused her father's eyebrows to rise in shock. "Well, if that's the case I think you should send them back."

"What?! I can't do that!" Iris protested in shock. "If I don't wear my uniform, how else will I be able to help at the academy?!"

"You just won't." Drayden stated. He went over to Axew, who had just hopped down the stairs and held the box that had once held the shirt and shorts that Iris was wearing, and took it from him. Holding it out to Iris, Drayden firmly said, "There's no way I'm letting my daughter help out, let alone go anywhere, dressed in such revealing attire!"

Iris, stood there shell shocked, she couldn't believe what she was hearing! After working so hard studying, taking the test and filling out all those annoying papers to just be able to set foot on the Poke Academy grounds, she couldn't comprehend that now all of it was being stripped away just because of a pair of shorts and a shirt that showed her bellybutton! "But Daddy-!" Iris began.

"No buts, Iris Dragonlight." Drayden warned, placing the box in her hands.

The box crumpled somewhat as Iris's hands closed around the sides. This couldn't happen, not now! Iris was so close to being able to head out to the same academy with Ash, her friend, her crush, and now it seemed like he could leave without her. Never to be seen for Arecus knew how long. The very thought caused her eyes to form salty tears, but Iris being Iris didn't let them be noticed, she shook her head, unwilling to agree to her father's wishes. "No! I'm not sending it back!" she cried throwing the box to the floor, were it overturned onto her small dragon type. "I have to be at that academy! I just have to!"

Drayden pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, like any guardian it got under his skin when his adopted daughter deiced to be difficult. "Iris, dear I know you-"

"No, you don't know!" Iris shouted, allowing a few tears to slip free from her brown eyes before wiping them away. "You just don't understand! You never understand!" She heading for the stairs but was stopped when a heavy hand rested on her shoulder.

"Iris, it seems like you're the one who doesn't understand." Drayden's firm voice said, in a surprisingly calm tone. He ushered her to the couch, was silent for a moment as he stood over her, Iris refusing to look him in the eye, before bluntly getting to his point. "Wearing clothes like that will only repeat the incident from last week, Iris.

This comment caused the girl to physically stiffen, and she couldn't help but shudder as her mind lingered back to last week. Not only because of the near horrifying experience, it also because Iris knew she'd never be able to forget the mortifying two hour lecture Drayden gave her, which she guess could have been heard half across town from all the yelling, and the call he made to the police station inquiring about why Officer Jenny hadn't caught that creeper soon.

But Iris pushed that aside and turn to the tall figure before her. "But, Daddy that wasn't my fault! It was Ash's idea for me to wear that stupid dress-"

"Yes and it was also your friend Ash who got you out of that situation with that…creeper." He said, using the word that Iris had used to describe the man that had tried to assault her, and the one who he had been thinking about giving a personal beating to.

"And that's why I have to go with him!" Iris protested.

"You mean for him to save you from more guys like that creeper?" Drayden questioned.

"No…" Iris said, blushing as she thought back to her friend's heroism. "It's because…I-I promised m-myself I would." Iris said, leaving out the part about making sure Ash got to fulfill his wish list. "A-And I have to k-keep that promise to myself, Daddy. And if that means wearing this outfit, then so be it!" she huffed crossing her arms and turning away, blinking her brown eyes rapidly to clear the tears.

"Iris, it's not that I don't want you to go," Drayden said, picking his words carefully. "It's just that…well you're a young woman now and you're going to a place where there will be guys…" he let his sentence linger off in hopes that Iris would catch onto what he was saying. But she just shrugged.

"So? I hang out with Ash all the time and you don't seem to have a problem with him." Iris said, while watching her Axew struggle with overturning the box that he was ensnared in.

"I mean guys that are different from Ash. I'm talking about those guys that don't respect girls at all…especially girls with the um…features you've acquired, Iris." Drayden said, rushing through his words on the last part.

Iris didn't respond and frowned as she realized that her adopted father was implying that her bust size was one of the factors of this problem. It infuriated the purple haired teen and couldn't help but jump to an angry conclusion. "These 'features' I've acquired aren't my fault either, Daddy! I can't just make them disappear!"

"Iris, that's not what I'm saying." Drayden tried to reason he rested a hand on her shoulder and attempted to continue but Iris cut him off before he could even begin.

"I don't care what you're saying, anymore!" Iris shouted, leaping off the couch. "I just want to be alone!" she stormed for the stairs and on her way lifted her foot and gave a hard kick to the box that Axew was struggling with. But her anger merely got it trapped on her foot and on her next step; Iris went sprawling forward and landed in the same position from when she had fallen down the stairs earlier.

"Ax! Ew axew ew?" Axew cried, hoping that Iris's second fall hadn't caused any damage.

There was a sniffling sound as Iris slowly pushed herself up. "I-I'm fine…" she answered, and in all honestly she was physically fine, but on the inside Iris was all broken up and battered, she just couldn't believe that was happening!

Iris heard footsteps coming up behind her and prepared herself to snap at Drayden, but before her anger words could become known to the word her adopted father spoke. "Iris, what are these?"

Craning her neck, Iris looked to see the white haired man with two more articles of clothing in his hands. One was a small white Nurse Joy hat, with a pink plus sign in the middle, and the other was an apron. It was also white and had two thick ribbons dangling down, used to be tied around in the back, and pink pokeballs printed on it.

Getting to her feet Iris glanced at them curiously, but then her face lit up with a smile. "Oh, I completely forgot! This is the other part of my outfit!" Taking them, she quickly tied the apron around her waist and placed the hat on her head. "I can't help Nurse Joy if I don't have a hat and apron."

Her father said nothing.

Iris's face fell. "Not that I'll be helping anyways since you don't like my outfit-"

"Iris, I never said I didn't like it." Drayden said, repeating his words from before. He glanced up and down and noticed at how the apron draped over the shirt, covering the area where Iris's bellybutton was once showing, and stopped just at the hem of the shorts. "But I must say…with the apron it looks…better-"

"Yo-You mean it's okay for me to go and help Nurse Joy at the academy?!" Iris asked her face lighting up with anticipation of his answer. In answer a small smile and a nod was given a squeal and threw her arms around the white haired man. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou, Daddy!"

"Hold on," Drayden said, pushing Iris back gently by the shoulders and meeting her chocolate brown gaze with his pale green one. "If you going to go, you have to promise me that you use that sixth sense of yours and stay away from those nasty boys. If any of them say anything inappropriate to you remind them that's no way to talk to a girl as beautiful you, understand?"

Iris nodded, "Yes, Dad I promise!"

"And also," he reached up and adjusted the Nurse Joy hat so it no longer sat lopsided on the crown of Iris's purple haired head. "Make sure to do you absolute best helping Nurse Joy." Drayden said, kissing Iris's forehead.

**(End of Flashback)**

'But just because Daddy said I should keep my distance doesn't mean I have to pretend these types of guys don't exist.' Iris thought. 'Besides he called me a ninja and I'm certainly not a-'

"Heh, I guess you're not a ninja," the guy said, using two fingers to lower the frame of his black sunglasses, just enough for his blue eyes to show, to get a better look at Iris. He smirked. "Makes sense though, none of those anime ninja girls have a butt as stunning as yours."

"E-Excuse me?!" Iris sputtered, stunned by the guys blunt comment.

The guy's smirk grew even smugger and wider than before. Pushing himself off the base of the tree he turned and faces the purple haired teen, with his fingers forming a rectangle camera lens. "You've got a nice ass. All round and a rather decant size."

"I-I just…um y-you…" Iris was so stunned and dumbfounded by the guy's straight forward statement about her rear, she couldn't even think of a sharp comeback to snap at him.

"Hey, ninja girl." She looked back down to see the brunette readjusting his sunglasses. "That was a compliment you know, and I almost never give those out. So you better say thanks why you can."

Iris opened her mouth but not a single word could come forth, so she just shot him the angriest glare she could give.

"Alright, fine don't say thanks." The sunglasses wearing guy then smirked that annoying smirk as he gave a lazy wave of his hand. "Now if you don't mind, turn back around, as much as I like your face it's ruining my view of that ass of yours, sweetheart."

Iris flushed, half form embarrassment the other half from pure anger. She wanted to lash out on the guy, but she deiced against it, it was her first day after all, and the last thing that she needed was to get in trouble for letting her temper get the best of her. Crossing her arms she let the brunette teen have a piece of her mind. "I'd rather not, besides you should know better! That's no way to talk to a girl as beautiful as me." She stated, quoting her father, despite how lame it sounded aloud.

Then as if emphasize how lame her response really was the guy below failed to suppress a snicker, which then escalated to a full scale laughter. Whipping off his sunglasses, his blue eyes stared up at Iris, "Oh, okay I get it." He said waving his black sunglasses in her direction. "You're a daddy's girl, and you're just playing hard to get."

Iris rolled her eyes, to hide the fact that the guy was indeed right, Iris was a big Daddy's girl and she knew it full well, but that didn't stop her from giving this pervert a piece of her mind. "Call it whatever you like." She turned and in a single bound leap effortlessly down to the ground, landing gracefully on both feet. "But I'm leaving."

"Aw come on, there's no need to run away." The guy said, jogging to catch up to Iris, before steeping in front of her and forcing her to stop. He then slipped his glasses back on, lowered them so his blue eyes were visible, and held out his hand. "Now, how about we get to know each other better over a treat at the cafeteria? My treat, beautiful." He winked at her.

Iris flashed a fake smile, and smacked his outstretched hand away. "As flattering as that is, I'll have to decline your offer." Iris replied, sort of weirded out by his boldness. Who the heck would go out with a pervert like him?

The guy just shrugged and readjusted his sunglasses and pocketed his hands. "Your loss. Don't come crying after me later."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Iris replied, with an annoyed frown as the weird guy walked off.

With that she turned and started down towards the area she had discovered, from way up high in her tree, after checking the area out, and claiming it the perfect area to have a Pokémon battle, Iris made a mental note to tell Ash about it.

Walking back Iris couldn't help but smile to herself. 'I can't believe getting Ash to have his first battle was going to be so easy! I mean it's true that Ash has had Pikachu for a while, but he's never got the chance to battle with him.' Iris's smile wavered as another thought came to mind. 'The only thing that ever came close to battling was that time Pikachu and Axew got in that brawl over the last Oran berry.'

Iris was about to remise on that day when in the distance she spotted her raven haired friend and Serena walking out of the Academy, with Ash carrying the missing suitcase in hand, and wanting to go and greet them the purple haired teen quickly sprinted towards their direction. Too bad she forgot to watch were she was going because, lone and behold, the burette guy got in her way and before she knew it Iris slammed into him, throwing him to the ground with a loud 'thud.'

"Hey! Watch where you're going ninja girl!" He cried out, rubbing his head in pain. "What are you trying to do? Ruin my handsome face?!"

"Well, excuse me!" Iris hissed, rubbing her chest, were the impact had taken place. "Why don't you watch where you're standing, you pervert?!" Iris shot back, her temper flaring somewhat.

Unaffected by Iris's comment the guy jumped to his feet and dusted himself off. "Man, I gotta make a sign that says 'Watch out, for rampaging schoolgirls.'" he mumbled to himself.

An anime vein bulged from Iris's forehead. "Ugh! You're such a little kid!" she declare, stomping past him, but only to get halted once again when the guy grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face him.

"I'm a little kid, eh?" he questioned as that smirk reappeared on face. He let go of her shoulder and replaced his hand on Iris chin, gently cupping it. "Little kid or not, you should know it's only common curtsey apologize after running into to someone, especially if that someone is as charming and good looking as-"

"LET GO OF ME, YOU FREAK!" Iris shouted, shoving him away. The close contact with this perverted guy had only made the memory of the encounter with that creeper back from Kanto repaper in her head, and being so she couldn't help but scream, even though it was far from necessary.

"IRIS!" the sound of someone shouting her name, caused Iris to turn, she gasped when she saw. Just like on that dark night, Ash was running up with a worried expression on his face. "Wh-What's the m-matter?! A-Are you okay?" Ash asked, his voice strained as he tried to catch his breath and speak at the same time.

"Ash! Take it easy, you know it's harder to breathe when it's hot outside!" Serena reminded him, dragging his suitcase, which he had dropped in panic, along with her.

"I-I know, I k-know, but I-I'm fi-fine…" Ash replied as he rested his hands at his knees as he gulped down air. "Man, Iris. You're supposed to look after me, not the other way around!" He jokingly added. "What kind of nurse are you?"

"Nurse? Is that what you're supposed to be?" The brown haired guy asked, smirking and looking at Iris's outfit. "Pfth, and you say I'm a little kid? Yeah right, I mean aren't you way too young to bear that title?"

"I'm not really a nurse," Iris answered sweatdropping. "I'm just an apprentice of Nurse Joy. But that's not important right now." She turned to her friend. ''Hey Ash how about have a Pokémon battle?"

"A P-Pokémon Battle?" Ash asked, confused at why Iris wanted to talk about a topic so irrelevant to the situation at hand. "Why?"

"Oh um we-well…er um well, why not? Besides you've never had one, before!" She answered nervously. Iris had kept the note Mrs. Ktchum had given her a secret from her friend and wasn't planning to let him in on it anytime soon. "Anyways I think it's finally time for you to have your own battle instead of just watching them on TV." Iris remembered back in Pallet Town Ash would sit in front of the TV watching Pokémon tournaments and such for hours on end until he fell asleep. It was a bad habit of his actually, but Iris couldn't deny that coming over his house and finding her friend fast asleep on the couch was the most adorable thing she's ever seen!

"Huh, I guess you're right," Ash rubbed his head. "So yeah, I'm in if Pikachu is!"

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu enthusiastically cried, proudly standing in front of his trainer.

"Awesome! But um…who's my opponent?" Ash asked.

"Oh yeah…" It wasn't going to be much of a battle without another person. Iris hesitated for a moment, Axew was still asleep in her room, and if she woke him up for a battle he would be grumpy for sure. And besides, he wasn't as experience as Pikachu and the battle would be over in a matter of minutes.

"I can battle," the brown haired guy said, locking eyes with Ash. "But I'm warning ya. I'm not gonna hold anything back."

"And you are?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Gary. Gary Oak," he held out his right hand and shook hands with Ash.

"Oak…huh, I swear I've heard that name before…" Serena stated tapping her chin.

"Oak, you know as in Professor Oak? The one in Kanto? I'm his grandson," the one now known as Gary proudly said, flipping his hair.

"Well, you're nothing like him," Iris mumbled under her breath, but it was still loud enough for Gary to hear.

"Of course not, I'm nothing like anyone. I am the one and only Gary Oak." He boasted. "And that being said I want to make this battle interesting."

"Interesting?" Ash asked. "What do you mean?"

"If I win, these two lovely ladies here are going out with me tonight," Gary said, draping both arms over Serena and Iris' shoulders, a smirk on his face.

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Iris said, shaking off his arm. "I'm no prize for anyone!"

"Um, me neither," Serena pouted.

"And if I win..." Ash though for a moment with a serious expression on his face. "You'll buy me ten apples!"

Everyone except Ash fell down anime style. Iris got up and held Ash by his collar. "You better not lose this, Ketchum!" She shot him a death glare. "Or else..."

Ash held up his hands innocently. "Don't worry, even though it's my first battle I totally got this! At least I think so…"

**-:-**

When they arrived at the small spot Iris had found earlier, Iris and Serena collapsed underneath the cooling shade that a large tree gave. Now that it was around mid-day the weather had become hotter, and the air was muggy with humidity. Iris regretted not bringing a water bottle with her just in case, but it was too late to do so now anyway. She was hoping the weather wouldn't be so brutally hot later throughout the week. But at the moment the weather was relevant, the battle was about to start, with Ash on one side of the small field, and Gary on the other. Both of them wore confident smiles, preparing for the battle.

Leaping down from Ash's shoulder, Pikachu gave a cry of his name."Pika, pika!"

"A Pikachu, huh," Gary commented as he pulled out a pokeball from his belt. "Alright! Gallade, come on out!" He yelled as he threw his pokeball up in the air, followed by a bright flash of white and blue light. The green and white colored Pokemon called out his name as he landed down on the grassy field.

"A Gallade." Iris commented, marveling at the Pokemon's size. "That's a pretty impressive Pokemon, even for a little kid like him."

"Yup, that's Gary for ya." Serena said, hearing what Iris had said.

"By the way, do you even know him?" Iris asked. "He's so annoying!"

Serena giggled. "You can say that again, but no I don't know his personally. Usually I see him hanging around and flirting with every girl in sight!"

"You don't say." Iris grumbled. At least that explained the whole ninja thing earlier.

"Hey, don't you think it's kind of weird that he comes from the same town as you guys, but neither of you know him?" Serena questioned.

"Now that you pointed that out, yeah." Iris quietly said, looking back at the two. "I might be mistaken, but my sixth sense is telling me that's there's something off about him..."

Serena nodded and then was quiet for a moment before looking up at Iris. "Um, is it true that Ash didn't say anything about me?" She said in a soft tone as she looked down at the grass.

Iris looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I don't remember him saying anything about you...but he could have mentioned your name at some point, I probably just don't remember." Iris smiled at her.

"R-really?" Serena looked up hopefully as her face turned pink.

"Yeah, really," Iris replied. She glanced at the blonde beside her, noticing that she was looking up at Ash with admiration glowing in her face. Could she..? 'No, Iris,' the purple haired girl thought as she shook her head lightly. 'This isn't the time thinking about such topics. And besides, you and Ash are juuust really good friends, and nothing can destroy our ten year long friendship!'

"You ready, newbie?" Gary smirked at the raven haired teen.

"You bet! Pikachu let's start this off, use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded, enthusiastically pumping his hand up in the air.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he ran forward and jumped up in the air. His tail shined like metal and aimed it at Gallade.

"Gallade, dodge that!" Gary yelled.

Gallade jumped gracefully at the air, dodging Pikachu's attack. Instead Pikachu hit a nearby bush, snapping it in half.

"Now, Gallade use leaf blade!" Gary yelled.

Gallade did as his trainer told him to do, but Pikachu quickly got on his feet and dodged the grass type attack just by a few millimeters.

"Now, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash cried.

Pikachu jumped up in the air, cheeks sparking, and aimed for Gallade. "Pika- CHUUUU!" Pikachu cried as he sent the massive Thunderbolt towards the other Pokémon.

"Dodge!" Gary cried. "And then use Focus Blast!"

Gallade managed to dodge it, and then he charged up and launched a powerful Focus Blast at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, get moving!" Ash yelled. Pikachu avoided the attack, charged towards Gallade, and when he was near enough, Ash saw his chance. A smile formed on the teen's mouth, "Now, use Iron Tail, again!"

Pikachu's tail once again glimmered in the sun as it transformed into solid iron and then, like a baseball bat, he sung it on Gallade and got a direct hit! The impact sending the larger Pokemon staggering back, but still managed to stay up.

"Gallade, use-"

"What in heaven's name is going on here!?" A strict voice called behind the four teens, stopping the Pokemon Battle. "I heard all this commotion all the way in the school yard, and it's a good thing I to look around before anyone got hurt!"

Turning to look everyone saw that the voice belonged to a man, who was a rather tall and by the looks of it was a teacher. He wore white button down shirt that was tucked neatly in his brown pants. A green tie was clipped to the shirt, moccasins were on his feet and he also had on a pair of red glasses. His dark brown hair was in a slightly messy style, and he appeared to be rather frazzled from the scene before him.

Ash turned with a disapproving look on his face. "Aw man, why'd we stop? Just when I was having my very first Pokemon battle, after all those years…"

"Y-Your first battle!? Young man, don't you know Pokemon can be dangerous? You could have set this entire forest on fire by commanding your Pokemon to use a fire-type attack!"

"Um but sir, my Pokemon electric type, it can't use fire type moves." Ash pointed out.

But as if he hadn't heard him the teacher worriedly started pacing back and forth. "If the principal finds out I let four students have a Pokemon battle outside of school grounds she's going to fire me for sure," he mumbled shortly for himself. "What should I do!?"

"Hey Calvin," Serena greeted the teacher.

The nervous teacher, now known as Calvin, looked up, and at the sight of Serena he yelped helplessly and rushed over to her. "Miss Serena!" He looked at her with big, teary blue eyes. "Please don't tell anything about this to your mother! In return I won't tell her anything about this battle either, okay?"

Serena sweatdropped at him. "Sure, no need to get so worked up. Besides I was just showing our new students around the school." She indicated to Ash and Iris.

"New students? Ah, yes, now I remember," Calvin nodded at this. "I'll let it slide this time, but if I catch you guys do something like this again you're going to get it!" He warned. "Now follow me back to the school, it's almost time for dinner."

Gary, probably grumbling an endless amount of swear words under his breath, grudging returned his Pokémon back to it's red and white orb and then turning he started down the path.

"Hey! We didn't even get to finish our battle!" Ash called after him

"Tch, you call that a battle?" Gary asked over his shoulder. "That was just was just a waste of my time, and forget the bet. There's tons of girls who'd do anything to go date with me. Later, newbie!"

Ash frowned and crossed his arms. "What a jerk," he stated.

"Pika pi chu." Pikachu agreed, now having climbed back on Ash's shoulder.

"By the way, Serena. Who is this teacher?" Iris asked as she nodded at Calvin, who was now making his way back towards the academy and was a good distance in front of them.

"Calvin?" Serena asked. "Oh, he's just my cousin. He's one of the teachers at the academy but in his spare time he checks around the academy campus and makes sure no one gets in trouble. He's quite clumsy, but actually pretty kind-hearted and-" but the blonde was cut off by a ringing sound. Reaching into her dress pocket she pulled out her phone and the gasped at the screen. "Oh thank Arceus I set an alarm on my phone, or I would have been late for dinner with Mom!" turning to her two friends she gave a quick wave. "I gotta go now, see you later, Ash and Iris!" with that Serena sprinted down the path, leaving Ash and Iris to walk along the path together.

There wasn't much talking between them. Ash was still grumbling about how that Gary guy had ditched him on his very first battle and Pikachu seemed to be trying his hardest to ignore his master's rambling. Iris on the other hand was once again preoccupied with her thoughts.

'Was that even considered a battle?' Iris thought, slightly disappointed that there was no time for either side to actually win. 'Since it technically ended in a draw…I guess it was.' Iris smiled to herself. 'Well I guess that checks off wish number one…sorta-'

The purple haired teen's thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of a stomach rumbling. Which, more specifically, happened to be her own. Iris blushed.

"Sounds like someone's hungry." Ash teased, nudging Iris in the ribs, but before he could even laugh his stomach gave a loud growl of it's own, reminding him that he had skipped lunch and was now starving as well.

"Seems like your stomach speaks for itself, Ash." Iris giggled.

"Hehe, guess you're right" Ash agreed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "All that means is that I need to chow down, now! Hey, Iris race you back to the campus!" Ash challenged, deciding that a good old fashion foot race with his best friend was an absolutely necessary reason to run.

"Ash!" Iris shouted as her raven haired friend took off into a run. "Hey, you know you're not supposed to run around! Hey don't ignore me! I'm a nurse in training, Ash! Ash! ASH!" Iris shouted after him. "That little kid will never learn." She sighed, shaking her head and broke into a run after her friend. While doing so Iris smiled up at the setting sun, as her thoughts wandered to ponder on what this school year would bring.


	7. The first day

BEEP, BEEP!

"Ugh..." a certain raven haired boy groaned at the high pitched noises that was disturbed his slumber. His hand slipped sluggishly out from under his warm blankets and onto the nearby night stand. For a few moments he blindly moved it back and forth, looking for the alarm clock. The noise becoming louder and louder as each second went by, it's nagging noise amplifying the importance of waking up. Like Ash didn't know that already.

BEEEEEPPPP!

"Pika chu pika!" The irritated electric mouse angrily yelled from the little bed, constructed out of a small basket and fluffy blankets, on top of Ash's drawer.

Desperately he tried to block out the sound by cover his ears with his small paws and burying his head into his warm blankets. If there was anything Pikachu hated more than Pokemon food that wasn't adorned with ketchup, it was his trainer being too lazy to switch off the noisy alarm clock. Sometimes Pikachu even had to switch it off himself, allowing his lazy trainer to sleep some more. It was rather ironic, considering that a trainer is supposed to look after his Pokémon, not the other way around. Unfortunately in Pikachu's situation it seemed that he looked more after Ash than Ash looked after him, not that he mind... most of the time.

"Pi chu pika!" Pikachu exclaimed once more, his voice muffled from under his blankets.

"Mmfth...I know buddy," Ash mumbled in a groggy voice, trying to keep his eyes open as he yawned deeply. "I'm gonna switch it off. If I can find it.." He continued to search for it, not bothering to use his amber eyes to help his blind hand.

BEEEEEP-!

**SMACK!**

At the sudden loud noise Ash sat up instantly, his tiredness forgotten. His eyes quickly flickered across the small bedsit. "Why did the alarm clock stop rin-oh." Ash sighed as he bent down to pick up the now broken alarm clock. As he did, more parts from the small clock fell down, dispersing the materials on the floor. Ash groaned in annoyance while Pikachu sat up, laughing.

"Pi pika pikachu," the electric mouse laughed, rolling around.

"Haha, very funny," Ash pouted, deciding to get out of his bed now that he was wide awake. However, as he stood up, his chest tightened as a sudden burst of pain appeared. Startled by this Ash gave an airy gasp and doubled over slightly, hiding the pained expression that overtook his face from Pikachu.

Pikachu, having seen this slouched posture associated with Ash's frequent chest pains, was at his side in an instant. "Pika pi!" He exclaimed, ready to run and get a nurse if need be.

Drawing a shaky breath, Ash lowered himself back down onto his bed. "N-No, buddy...m'fine." This was only partially true though. Ash had to fight the urge to reach up and grip his blue night shirt, over the area where his heart was, as the pain hovered in his chest for a few more moments, before the discomfort disappeared as soon as it came. He exhaled a bundle of air, he hadn't notice he had been holding, in relief.

"Pi chu pika?" The electric type stared worriedly up at his master and tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner.

"The sudden crashing sound must have startled me more than I thought," he muttered under his breath as he slowly straighten up_. 'Best to be more careful and take it a bit easy from now on.'_

"Pika?" Pikachu asked, having received no answer.

"It's nothing, buddy I'm fine," Ash said, giving a little sheepish laugh. It was too early in the morning to have anyone worry about him. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and brush my teeth before heading off to my first class."

Pikachu watched his trainer as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. The electric mouse frowned, displeased by Ash's previous behavior. Yes, the pain was now gone, but Pikachu wasn't stupid. It was obvious his trainer had experienced a small heart attack just now.

Granted they haven't trained a lot together yet, but the bond between them was strong. Over the years, Pikachu have grown a special kind of empathy for his trainer. While he didn't directly feel sorry for Ash all the time, Pikachu had learned to live through the disease with him. Just because Ash's physical health was limited, didn't that mean he was a lazy and boring person. They both still managed to have fun training together, even if it was at a slower pace, and Ash's energetic personality could take over.

They both learned to rely more on each other. Pikachu relied on Ash to take the training seriously and improve their batting skills, and Ash relied on Pikachu to do his best and look after him when he got too excited. Ash might never admit it, but deep inside he was quite relieved to have friends around him to tell him when he needed to take it easy. Pikachu might never hear him say that, but he could tell by the way Ash acted. However, there was one thing that bugged him. It was the fact that Ash refused to say anything or give a clear answer about the pain being truthfully manageable or not whenever it would flare up. The electric mouse knew Ash just wanted to fit in at the Poke Academy without his heart problem getting in the way, but he couldn't just ignore it! Honestly it scared Pikachu knowing that Ash would put his health on the line for other people's acceptance.

*** AT THE NURSES' OFFICE ***

"Oh, is it you again." Nurse Joy shook her head as she sighed heavily. "What seems to be the problem today, Gary?"

The lazy brunette stretched out, placing his hands gently at the back of his head. Once he was comfortable in the nursing bed, he looked over at the impatient nurse. "Sorry Nurse Joy, I didn't mean to be a bother," he said, trying to sound sad and innocent. He forced out a cough, followed by a groan and pained expression over taking his face. "It's just that my stomach hurts so badly, and my head too. I think I might be better if rested here through the first period."

The pink haired woman resisted the urge to roll her blue eyes. "That's what you said last Wednesday," Nurse Joy pointed out. "I've taken countless of test of you, Oak, and I didn't find anything unusual about your health. Your pulse and blood pressure are normal too."

"Of course," Gary coughed. "Not that you can find anything unusual about my chest by measuring my blood pressure." He muttered under his breath.

"I know," the nurse informed, having heard him. "But I don't know why I'd bother looking at your chest if you just said your stomach was aching."

"Oh, uh did I say that?"

"Yes."

"Well what do ya know, it doesn't hurt anymore! See you're an amazing Nurse, Joy," he smirked, showing his dazzling white teeth.

Nurse Joy, unaffected by his flirty personality, raised her eyebrows at the boy. "Gary, if there's anything that's bothering you, you can always come right up here and talk about it. But, lying and flattery won't get you anywhere in life. I'm sure you know that."

"Yeah, I know," Gary muttered, faking another cough.

"So," Nurse joy pulled out a chair next to the bed and sat down. "What is it with English class that you do not like?"

"English class?" Gary gulped. "Haha what'cha talking about? I love English!"

"Oh, really? That's not what Professor Juniper told me." She saw the brunette teen stiffen slightly at her words. "According to her, you never show up or bother to do any of your assigned homework. Which might explain why you always come here every Monday morning, claiming to be sick and tired, am I right?"

"It's not that," Gary said, flustered, trying to keep his cool. "I really do feel bad-"

"Nurse Joy? I've brought the Oran berries from the stock," a small voice said behind the curtain surrounding Gary's bed. Iris dragged the curtains aside, looking curiously at the two. "Ehe, where should I put these boxes?" She asked sheepishly, looking a little guilty as she fiddled with her white and pink pokeball printed apron. "I forgot."

"Oh, no it's not a problem at all, dear." Nurse Joy walked over to Iris and gathered the boxes up in her arms. "I'll place them on the shelf right away. Thank you for bringing them up here!"

"No problem!" Iris called after the nurse as she left the two teenagers alone. When the nurse walked out of the room, Iris fixed her gaze at the now smirking brunette, wondering why he, out of all the people in this big building, was here. "So, why are you here?" She asked, trying not to sound rude.

Gray ignored her question and instead sat up and flashed a snarky smirk at the young nurse in training. "Judging by the fact the two of us seem to meet up in the most surprising places, I believe we're meant to be,"

"It's just a coincidence, besides I do work her after all. I doubt you're even supposed to be in here." Iris said calmly, not wanting him to get under her skin. Remembering Nurse Joy's instructions, she forced herself to ask the necessary question for a patient. "Since you seem fine, do you need a glass of water, before you leave? Some rest maybe?" the purple haired teen did give him time to answer either of these questions. She had heard what Nurse Joy had said about him wanting to skip his first class. Giving a small bow and turned to leave, her long ponytail swishing along her back as she did so. "Call me if you need something," she said, beginning to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Gary grabbed her wrist, making her turn around and face him. He stared at her for a moment. A long moment, that Iris didn't enjoy any bit of. Then as if he had thought of something he released her wrist and flopped back onto the bed, holding his head and groaning. "My head …ugh it hurts like hell. I think you damaged my cerebellum."

"Huh? How…I-I mean…why would I do that?" Iris was unsure of cerebellum's meaning. Not knowing how to respond she once again turned for the exit, shaking her head in annoyance at the brunette.

A small smirk graced the brunette's lips before he swiftly got up, and grabbed her from behind, placing his strong arms around her waist protectively. "Because I'm falling in love all over the place with you," He whispered in her ear, causing the hairs on the back of Iris's neck to stand on end.

Then, without warning he spun her around, so she once again faced him. At the startled expression on the purple haired girl's face, Gary winked one of his blue eyes as pulled Iris closer and closer till their noses were an inch away from touching.

A thousand thoughts bombarded Iris's mind as the sound of her pulse throbbed in her ears. Was this guy for real? Could he really have feelings for her? _'Iris, what in Arceus's name are you thinking. This Oak kid is nothing but a prevent freak!_' The thought sounded more like a lecture Drayden would give her if he ever met this flirtatious freak for himself. And whether these were Daddy girl's thoughts or not, Iris agreed with them. So determined that she could not trust this random perv, she bought her hand up and placed it on his face, shoving him away from her face. Stumbling backwards, Gary looked at her confused as she shook her head.

"Look, kid, I am not interested in forming any relationships just yet. I'm still new here and I hardly know you," Iris said calmly. But even though she retained the calm facade, she was filled with anger and annoyance inside. What the hell did this perv think she was? Some kind of a brainless fangirl who would follow him around like a newborn puppy!? Well then he was wrong! But if Iris started snapping at him while being at work, she would get fired right away. Then she could just forget being near Ash for a year. Being a happy and cheerful nurse sure was challenging.

Gary looked surprised for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. Iris raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what she just said that could be so hilarious. "Man, are you turning me down?" He asked, wiping away a tear.

"Are you deaf?" Iris replied annoyed. "Maybe I should check your ears too while you're here."

Gary suddenly got serious, leaning closer to the violet haired girl. "I think it's a wise decision of you to come with me," he said.

"And I think you should head off to class," Iris said, getting tired of the whole guy.

"Class? Nah, the teacher is a creepy bitch and my class is full of morons," he shuddered. "Whatever, I could always skip. What do say to join me to the local City Cafe?"

"No, I'm at work," Iris said, gesturing to her uniform.

"Don't worry about that," Gary said, glancing at the door. "You won't get in trouble if you're with me. My Grandpa basically found this Academy before he retired shortly after. The teachers may yell at me, but they don't dare to lay a finger on me for anything."

"Good for you, but I'm not taking any chances," Iris replied. She then gave him a shove back onto the bed and even took a moment to drape the blankets over him. All the while ignoring his snarky smirk. It wasn't like she wanted to tuck him in, it was Nurse Joy's orders. Once the task was done, Iris turned and started to walk away. "Now, you probably need rest, so bye."

"No, Ninja girl! Damn it!" Gary quickly shoved his blanket aside, jumped out of the bed and hurried after the girl. Never in his life had a girl turned him down. He got the looks, money and power. What more could any girl want ? And besides, he found this girl interesting. She was probably a breath of fresh air since he usually dated the pretty and popular ones.

Not taking any chances to lose sight of her, a small smirk graced his lips as he caught her around her hour glass waist. "You sure you won't join me?" He asked calmly, when she jumped and whirled around at his touch. "I'll drive you wherever you'd like."

"Nope, I'd rather work" Iris said, trying not to punch him in the face as she removed his hand from her waist. But at the same time allowing the brunette to snag her apron. "Hey! G-Give that back!"

Iris lunged at Gary, but due to him being taller, he easily kept her pink pokeball printed apron out of reach. Iris was focused on trying not to kick this guy in the nuts that she didn't even notice that the brunette had trapped her between himself and the front counter.

"I don't see why you want it back." Gary taunted, grinning as he yanked the apron upwards just as the girl's fingertips were about to snatch it. His blue eyes gleaming in excited amusement as he marveled at Iris exposed stomach, all flat and amplifying her hour glass shape, and her bust that bounced each time she jumped for her apron. "I think you look a hell of a lot sexier without it, ninja girl."

Iris blinked as she realized how this perverted guy was viewing her. Blushed burned her cheeks, this was the exact thing her father told her to avoid and now she had let her anger blinded her in what she was doing! 'I should know better than to jump around with a guy in front of me!' Subconsciously she yanked at her pink shirt in a futile attempt to hide her now visible stomach. 'Especially without my apron! Ugh, that little kid!'

No matter how badly she was boiling on the inside, Iris made sure to suppress the angry growl and foul language threatening to escape her throat and said as kindly as she could. "Gary, I appreciate it if you'd return my apron to me," gritting her teeth she forced out the next word. "Please."

"Aw, come on, don't ya like playing keep away?" Gary asked, waving her apron tauntingly over her head. But instead of receiving an answer the purple haired teen stole the moment to take one more jump, this time yanking the apron out of his clutches.

"Ha got it you- AHHH! What are you doing!?" Iris was caught around her middle again while trying to land from jumping, allowing Gary to swing her over his shoulder. "Y-You! Set me down this instant..!" Slowly Iris was losing her cool. Hopefully Nurse Joy wouldn't walk on them like this. Then she'd be in deep trouble.

"Not until you say you'll come with me, since you obviously didn't like playing keep away" Gary laughed as Iris squirmed on his grasp. "Why don't you just cool it, ninja girl? There's nothing to be so afraid of, if you're with me"

"I got to work you idiot! Besides you promised us you'd leave me alone when you lost to Ash during the battle!" Iris tried to get out of his grasp, but to no use. He was simply stronger than her.

"Tsch, you call that a battle?" He snorted. "We barely even started. Now, what do ya prefer? BMW or Audi? We'll go for a small ride around the town, just to show you around."

"Iris?"

Iris swiveled her head towards the familiar voice. Soon she was staring down at Ash and Pikachu, who stood at the clinic's doorway both with frowns on their faces. "What's up?"

"Uh I..." Iris stammered, cursing Gary mentally for being such an idiot on the wrong time. "N- Nothing! Just working until this creep came. You can set me down now, Gary."

"Sure, but next time you could've just asked," Gary said, putting her down gently. Iris gaped at him, only making him smile at her.

"Y-you je-!" Iris remembered how stern Nurse Joy had looked when she told her that she had to stay professional even in the most frustrating situations. Sighing deeply, Iris rubbed her temples and turned to her friend. "W-What I meant was, did you came to get your daily morning medicine, Ash?"

Ash hesitated, a little, seeming a little uneasy. "Yeah, that's it." He frowned at Gary before following Iris into the small kitchen nearby. After searching through the cabinet Iris picked up a medicine bottle with her friend's name written on it with big, bold letters on the label. "I believe it's this one?" She asked, giving it a small shake.

Ash nodded in approval, and watched as she undid the lid deposited one of the white capsules into his outstretched hand. As she set her apron on the counter to pour him a glass of water, Ash spoke up "So…how is your job going so far?"

"Oh it's nice, at least until…no wait…" Iris bought her hand to her forehead, remembering she could not tell anyone about the students that dropped by or any other personal information. "Well I'm not very good at this yet, but I'm getting better and better each day."

She handed him the glass and made sure he swallowed everything, something Nurse Joy said she should make sure of. It's a nurse's job to make sure a patient takes all their medicine, even if it had to be done by force, was what the pink haired woman had said in a matter a fact tone.

"Oh, by the way, Nurse Joy wanted me to ask if everything was alright." Iris said before sheepishly added. "Nothing unusual happened with your heart earlier this morning, did it?"

At this Pikachu made a sound but Ash cut in. "No! Nothing happened at all, everything was normal." Ash didn't like to lie to Iris, sure she was just a nurse doing her job, but if he mention the little incident after he broke his alarm clock there was no doubt in his mind Iris would freak out.

"Well it's good to hear that you're getting better at your job," Ash said, switching the subject as he handed her the empty glass. Glancing out where the clinic's front desk was located he added. "And Gary? What's he doing here?"

Iris shrugged, gathering up her apron in her hand while using the other to put his medicine bottle away. "No idea."

"He's not…bothering you?" Ash questioned.

"Bothering me? N-No of course not." Iris didn't like to lie to Ash, but she didn't want him worry about her. All that would do is add unnecessary stress to his heart. She mentally kicked herself, remembering how Ash didn't want her to obsess about his heart problem. Turning to hide her concerned expression, Iris busied herself with putting her apron back on. "Even if he was, I'd just ignore a cree-"

"Here, let me do it." Ash said from behind, having seen Iris struggle with the pink ribbon in the back. Iris hesitated, but allowed him.

As he tied the pink ribbon, amber eyes couldn't help but glance downward and marvel at the attractive sight of the purple haired teen's butt in those white shorts- _'Wait, what am I-I doing?!' _Ash thought a slight blush warming his face. Yes, he couldn't deny that Iris was a beautiful girl, but that still didn't give him the right to look at her like that. He wasn't a pervert! Moreover the thought of how Drayden would react to this made him shudder with fear. Shaking his head, Ash quickly removed his fingers after completing the bow with the silky ribbon.

"Thanks." Iris stated as she turned back around. "So...I guess I'll talk to you later, about lunchtime okay?"

"Sure!" Ash forced a smile and nodded at Pikachu. "Come on buddy; let's head off to our first class!"

"Pika!" Pikachu beamed, sounding pumped up.

"Later, Iris!" He called, running out of the door and taking a sharp turn to the left.

"Be careful!" Iris yelled after him, sighing at his stubbornness. When he was out of sight, Iris returned back to the kitchen to tidy the countertop. When she was putting glasses in the dishwasher, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders. Iris sighed, having an idea of who it could be. "What do you want?"

"Whoa, calm down," Gary put up his hands in defense. "I thought about helping you around here before heading off."

"How about helping me out by disappearing?"

"Why are you so stone cold?"

"I'm not, I just tired of that attitude of yours," Iris explained, pushing a few buttons to start the dishwasher. "I'm glad you decided to head off to class though."

"You know," Gary said, getting a serious look on his face. "About the whole café thing and yesterday, I'm sorry. I did not mean to make fun of you."

"You didn't?" Iris asked, giving a look of surprise. "So what were you trying to do?"

Gary shoved his hands into his pant pockets, looking down at the floor. "It's about your friend, Ashy-boy."

"What about Ash?" Iris asked, trying to hide worried tone in her voice.

Gary glanced at her, sighing slightly. He parted his lips as if to say something, but not a word came out. "You know what," he said finally. "I'll tell you later. See you," he walked out of the door, putting his hand up as a wave before disappearing into the hallways.

Finally, that annoying guy was gone. But now, the girl with long purple hair wanted to call him back and question what his words meant. However, Iris suddenly heard Nurse Joy calling for her. Sighing she knew that an explanation would have to come at a later time.


	8. The first day part 2

A certain brunette rushed down the long flight of stairs inside the academy, frantically looking right and left. He felt the confusing looks the student's were giving him as he walked past them. The girls, as usual, squealed in excitement as his blue eyes flickered towards them. But much to their disappointment, Gary didn't flash them his usual flirty smile. Today, he had something other than himself on his mind.

'Darn it, where could that kid be?' He thought, running a hand through his spiky brunette hair. This caused some girls to squeal louder, making him sigh in annoyance. Ignoring them once again, he turned right and passed a couple of classes, making sure to scan the rooms as he rushed by. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he was jogging right towards another person.

"Ack!"

"Hey! Watch where you're going-"

More like the _right_ person.

Gary cut himself off as he stared at the other person, a look of relief appearing on his face. He coolly brushed invisible dust off his clothes and stood upright. "Well, if this isn't Ashy boy," he smirked.

Ash rested his hands on his knee as he slightly bended down, looking down at the floor as he panted heavily. Pikachu, sensing that his trainer was exhausted by running around to get his schedule and to find the right classroom, decided to answer for him. "Pika pika!" The electric mouse scolded, frowning at Gary.

"Yeah, whatever, I'm sorry," The brunette waved the electric mouse off. Turning to Pikachu's human companion he said. "Anyway, since you're new and all, I've to decided to show you around for a bit." Ash flashed him a strange look, but Gary wasn't going to let him refuse. "I bet you're wondering where your next class is supposed to be at, right?" He made a movement to snatch his schedule, but Pikachu grabbed it from Ash's hand and held it out of reach.

"It's fine, buddy," Ash finally replied, scratching the back of Pikachu's head. Then he turned his head to face the brunette. "Hey, weren't you sick or something?" He asked with a confused expression, remembering seeing Gary in the nurse's office earlier.

"Well, I guess I got well very soon. Those nurses really are amazing," he winked. "Especially that feisty girlfriend of yours."

"I- Iris?! Oh...uh she's not my girlfriend," Ash managed to say as his face grew a few shades redder. "Besides, there's no time for small talks, I got to get moving to that English class."

"Wait," Gary blocked the way, forcing Ash to stop. "English with Professor Juniper?"

Pikachu glanced at the schedule and nodded. Smirking, Gary turned around and walked further down the hall. "Follow me."

Exchanging a confused glance with Pikachu, Ash picked up his pace and walked behind Gary. He might as well follow him now that he had no idea where his first class would be at. Soon the brunette leaned against a door frame and cleared his throat to grab a female teacher's attention.

The teacher stopped writing something on the whiteboard and turned to the door. A look of surprise crossed her face as she saw the brunette. As she put the cap on the whiteboard marker she turned to the class. "What an unexpected surprise, Gary has for once decided to show up in class." She was now narrowing her eyes at the brunette. "You're _late_."

The students began to murmur amongst each other and chuckle as Gary still looked confident. "Hey Juniper," he greeted causally, moving from off the door frame and took a few steps into the class. "Actually I'm early, usually I show up by the end of class." The students were now laughing harder and Juniper put up her hand to silence them.

"It's Professor Juniper for you, young man," she told him as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Calm down. I was late because I was brought the new student." He stepped to the side and revealed Ash with a confused look on his face. Pikachu was perched on his shoulder, beaming at the teacher.

Juniper smiled warmly at the two before glaring back at Gary. "Thank you, Oak." She said sarcastically as she gestured to the empty desk in the front row for the brunette to sit. "I think I'll take it from here. You may sit down now."

"Yes Ma'am," he saluted shortly before walking over to his desk. Ash scanned the classroom and relaxed slightly when he saw Serena waving at him. At least he knew two people here so he didn't have to be alone.

"Alright new student." Ash's head snapped towards the teacher, who seemed much friendlier now that Gary was out of sight. The woman seemed to be in her thirties, with brown hair tucked up in a high ponytail. She was dressed up in a white shirt, a plain green skirt that went all the way to her knees and a white lab jacket. "Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" She asked nicely.

"Uhm well," Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, causing a few students to chuckle again. "My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm training to become a Pokemon Master!" He enthusiastically pumped his fist into the air and Pikachu climbed on top of his head.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu finished, beaming at their little audience.

"And this is my partner Pikachu," Ash gestured to the electric mouse. "Other than that, I hope we'll can get along and I like making new friends."

Juniper chuckled at their lively introduction and looked over at the class. "Okay then Ash and Pikachu, welcome to the Academy. I hope you're both going to enjoy your time here. You can sit..." She eyed a empty seat next to Serena and gestured towards it. "Serena, please raise your hand."

The blonde raised her hand up slightly, the smile never leaving her face.

"Good. And while you're at it, could you please show him around today too?"

"Of course," the blonde said.

"Got it, professor," Ash obedient said, causing Gary to roll his eyes as the raven haired boy took the spare seat next to the girl.

Well of course Juniper wouldn't let Ash sit next to him because she probably thought he would be a 'bad influence.' Gary never even noticed that Serena was in his English classes. Guess that proved how rarely he really showed up in this class. Bored already, he rested his head on his desk. His mind wandered to Ash again. He began to ponder about why he, out of all people, decided to start at this Academy. When he was at the nurses' office, his suspicion about his disease had been confirmed to be true. But the real question was, wasn't that raven haired boy the same boy he had meet a couple of years ago? That same boy who-

"GARY OAK!"

"What the hell-" Gary snapped his head up, looking directly into Juniper's annoyed glare. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he was about to fall asleep in the process. Quickly, he smirked and coolly leaned back in his chair. "Whoa, calm down woman. It wasn't like I was about to sell drugs or anything."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you _did_."

The class broke out in laughter again, making Gary roll his eyes and cross his arms over his chest. Oh how he hated English. "Whatever," he sneered under his breath, already regretting showing up.

The teacher gave him a look of disappointment and then turned around to continue writing on the whiteboard.

Ash, sweatdropping at Juniper's sudden mood change, leant closer to Serena. "Is she always like that?" He asked.

"No, she's usually very fair to everyone and also nice," she whispered back. "I think it's Gary's fault why she's acting like that towards him. Not that I blame her, I would get really fed up with his behavior too if I was her."

"So in other words, this class will get pretty.. interesting?" The raven haired boy put his hand in front of his mouth to stop his laughter.

"Well you can say that," Serena smiled.

Ash leaned back in his chair and took a glance around the full classroom. Everyone seemed to take the school work very seriously as they all were writing down what Juniper said. But he still noticed the weird looks some of the girls were giving him once in a while. Afraid that his the secret about his health condition was already known by everyone, he turned his attention to Serena. "By any chances, do you know why some people are giving me weird looks? I know I'm new and all, but still..."

"Relax," he turned to see Serena smiling at him as she whispered. "Gary is pretty popular, and he usually speaks to everyone but strange enough he never really hangs out with other people. So since everyone is so used to see him alone, they're just curious why he, out of all people, are seen walking with you. Yet alone showing you to class. He never does that."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ash whispered in a worried tone but then relaxed when the blonde shook her head.

"If anything, I think people are going to like you even more now. If Gary accepts you, everyone else will too. Just wait and see."

"That doesn't seem too bad," Ash sighed in relief, happy that he had high chances of getting to know more people now that his secret was pretty much unknown. Not that he had problems getting to know people, he could get along with anyone. It was just that when people got to known about his heart disease, the days of elementary and middle school would more than likely repeat themselves. And that was the last thing Ash wanted. "I still wonder why he helped me though," he added.

Serena shrugged. "Don't mind him. Maybe he's just mad about the battle and want to have a rematch or something."

"Maybe," Ash looked at Gary from the corner of his eye. "Also uh...do you know where they sell alarm clocks?"

"Alarm clocks?" Serena looked at him. "Yes, but how come?"

"I broke mine this morning," he sheepishly admitted. "I'll be in deep trouble if I oversleep tomorrow."

Pikachu, who was resting under Ash's feet, resisted the urge to laugh out loud. Ash running late, ha, he would be late with an alarm clock as without. He was the one to wake him up mostly anyway. But being the nice Pokemon that he was, he decided to keep quiet so he wouldn't get in trouble. Closing his eyelids, he continued to rest, but with a slight smile on his face.

Serena giggled. "Of course. We can go in the lunch break if you want. They sell them in the local mall not far away from here. We're allowed to leave the school area in the lunch break, but we have to be back within a hour. Or else they lock the gates," she sweatdropped. "That happened to me once, and I had to be there until four PM! That's when we're usually allowed to move outside the school gates."

"Sounds pretty strict," Ash said honestly. "You sure we can make it?"

Serena nodded, a determined look appearing on her face. "Of course."

"Serena!" Both Ash and Serena's turned away from each other and snapped their heads toward Juniper. She was crossing her arms and looked at them with an tired expression.

"Sorry Juniper," the blonde apologized, standing up and bowing deeply. "It won't happen again, promise!"

"I guess I can let it slide this time," she nodded. "Now, please come up and finish this sentence for me."

Serena exchanged a tired glance with Ash and walked up to the whiteboard. Once she finished the sentence, the bell went for the second period.

"Finally!" Gary jumped up from his chair and dashed out of the door before Juniper could say anything to stop him.

Serena quickly made her way towards her desk and packed her stuff for the next class. Placing her pink bag on her shoulder, she followed Ash and Pikachu out of the door. Once outside, Pikachu handed her the schedule. Serena smiled kindly at the electric mouse as she scanned the paper.

"You have- math next," she explained.

"Math!?" Ash's eyes popped open. "Why the heck should I even be taking math!? I'm aiming to become a Pokemon Master, not an engineer! Or a mathematician for that matter."

Serena giggled, handing the schedule back to him. "Don't worry. Math is obligatory, but it isn't that hard. And besides, you only learn the basic math that could come in handy for your travels. You should remember the most from middle school though.

"So I assume you're not in my math class," Ash scratched the back of his head.

"No, but I'm in the class right beside yours. I'll be having Art," she clapped her hands together excitedly, starting to walk towards their next classes. "Come on, it's this way."

* * *

"Thank you for your hard work. Now, please go on and have your well deserved break," Nurse Joy gestured towards the door with a kind smile on her face.

"No problem," Iris grinned back as she bowed respectfully to her mentor. "It was really fun helping around! How long does lunch break last anyway?"

"For a hour," the pink haired lady replied as she faced the computer and began to type something. "When you're back, I'll leave for my break. But don't worry, Audino will come and accompany you so you don't have to work all alone," she winked.

"Sounds great," Iris sighed in relief. "So, see you in a bit," she waved as she dashed off towards her dorm to get Axew. Knowing her little tusk pokemon, he probably was hungry and grumpy by now. She was met by the fresh air outside as she walked out of the building and continued to run down the path, breathing in the air and enjoying the sun beaming down on her face. Iris wasn't the person who enjoyed to be indoors for long amounts of times, so this little jog outside felt like a blessing.

Inside the dorm building, she headed towards the girl's section. She quickly sprinted up the stairs and walked into the long hallway of the second floor. She fished out her ID card and keys and walked up to the dorm with the '20' sign on it. Knocking on it once to signalize the dragon type that she had arrived, she put the key in the keyhole and twisted it to the side. She grabbed the doorknob and walked inside, glancing around the small room. "Axew, I'm back!" She said loudly as she closed the door behind her.

Raising her eyebrows slightly, she looked frantically around the room. She was pretty sure Axew was lying lazily on the sofa when she left for work, but now it had no sign of the small Tusk Pokemon. Well only a small imprint which revealed that he once had slept there.

When she was about to walk further in the dorm, a small cry was heard from the kitchen counter right next to the small living room. Snapping her head towards the counter, something small and green fell out of the cupboard.

Iris gasped as she walked towards the fallen Pokemon and knelt down beside it. "Axew, what in Mew's name happened? Why where you inside the cupboard?"

Axew, now holding a cereal box tightly in his arms, looked up at her with big, shiny eyes. "Axew ax ew ew!" He explained dramatically, kicking his small legs in the process. Iris picked up the baby dragon and grabbed the cereal box from his grasp. Axew was about to complain, but the stern look on Iris' face changed his mind.

"Uh Axew, I know you're hungry and all but cereal isn't good for your tummy," she explained, placing the box on the kitchen counter. "I'm sorry it took so long, but it's lunchtime now so we're heading to the cafeteria."

"Ax ew ew!" The baby pokemon cheered, making Iris laugh.

"That's right! We're meeting Pikachu and Ash too," she felt her cheeks heating up, but quickly covered it by grabbing her wallet from her bag and heading towards the door. Thank Arceus Axew still was too young to understand Iris' feelings towards her long time friend.

Not wanting to ponder over the embarrassing thought, Iris made her way towards the cafeteria with Axew in her hands.

She stopped outside the large doors that lead into the lunch room to wait for Ash. The hallway was filled with students happily chatting and laughing. Iris smiled to herself as she could barely wait to tell Ash about her first day as a nurse in training! Surprisingly, she had managed to handle her job decently, for her first hour that was. She still lacked the skills Nurse Joy and Audino had, of course. Scanning the crowd once again, she was interrupted by a little tug on her apron.

"Ax ew ew," Axew whined, pouting cutely at his trainer. Iris sweatdropped nervously, glancing at the cafeteria once again.

"I'm sorry Axew, Ash should be here any time by now," she explained. "I just hope he didn't get lost. He tends to do that a lot," she giggled for herself, remembering her friend's bad sense of direction. Once he even managed to get lost in the convenience store! Luckily for him his nose managed to save him as he smelled fresh pancake samples by the store's exit. And knowing Ash, he would never miss lunchtime.

Axew rolled his red eyes in defeat. Knowing that he couldn't separate his trainer and her raven haired friend easily, he lazily slumped down in her arms.

"Maybe we should just get a table," Iris thought out loud, feeling bad for the little dragon type. "This might take a while... And then we all will miss lunch!"

Turning around and heading toward the long lunch line, she heard running footsteps right behind her.

"Hey Iris!" A voice yelled in her ear, making her jump back in surprise.

"What the heck..!?" Iris began to say, but was cut short as she looked up at Ash's smiling face. Blinking once, she also smiled widely back. "Ash! What took you so long? Did you get lost in the hallways again?"

"Ha! With my perfect sense of direction? Course not," Ash boosted, jabbing his hand against his chest. "In fact my math teacher held me back to offer me extra math help," he muttered the next part, hoping that she didn't hear him.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu spoke up loudly as he catched up with his trainer, jumping on top of his shoulder. Giving him a look of disappointment, he turned to the green dragon type and waved at him.

"Axew!" Axew cried his name happily, relieved to finally see his good friend after being in his dorm for all this time. He jumped down on the floor and began dancing his happy dance. Pikachu shrugged and joined the baby Pokemon, making sure he didn't fall and get injured or something.

Ash and Iris exchanged a knowing glance. "I'm glad Pikachu is so good looking after people," Iris admitted.

"Yeah, he- Wait! What do you mean with people?" Ash asked in an offended manner.

"One; we've told you a hundred times to stop running around carelessly like you do, but you never listen. But Pikachu, who is with you basically all the time, makes sure you don't. If there hadn't been for him, you would be in deep trouble," Iris told him as it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And secondly-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Ash muttered under his breath, watching Iris as she raised an eyebrow at him with a slight smile. "I guess he is..."

"There you are!"

Iris and Ash turned to see Serena running up to them. She stopped to catch her breath and motioned to her wrist clock. "If we don't hurry up, they're going to close the School Gates before we get in," she explained seriously. "Come on, it's not a long way."

Ash looked puzzled for a minute before realization hit him. "Oh, the alarm clock! I completely forgot about that!" He smacked his forehead. "Can't we go get it after school? I already promised Iris to spend lunchtime here."

"Well you can, but I have piano lessons so I can't go with you. Will you two be fine on your own if you go?" She asked, looking from Iris to Ash.

"Uhm, I- I," Ash hesitated, a guilty look on his face. If just he wasn't so clumsy!

"It's okay," Iris reassured them. "We can hang out after work and school, no problem," she said, avoiding his glance.

"You sure about that, Iris?" Serena asked, looking equally guilty. "I didn't mean to spoil your plans..."

"Well yeah," she said. "Me, Axew and Pikachu can have lunch here for so long. Go do whatever it is that is urgent."

"Okay, we'll see you later Iris," Ash smiled one last time.

"Yes, catch you later!" Serena smiled kindly at her before running out of the double doors with Ash running after.

"What did I say about running!" Iris yelled after him, but sighed in defeat as he was out of sight. "He will never learn, will he?" She thought out loud with a frown.

"Pika pika," Pikachu shrugged, looking tired as well.

"Axew ew," Axew agreed.

"Okay you two, let's go get something to munch on," Iris said to the two Pokemon. "Any special wishes on what you want to eat?"

Pikachu's eyes lit up. "Pika pikachu pika pi pika!" He started counting on his little stubby fingers. "Pika pikachu.."

"Ax ew axew axew!" Axew also started rambling out different dishes alongside with Pikachu.

"Okay hold up!" Iris said sternly. "I can't remember all that! Now could you two please name one dish at a time!?"

* * *

"Do we have much time left?" Ash asked as soon as they left the small store. He tightened his grip on the bag containing his brand new alarm clock and inhaled the fresh, crisp air. The sun was shining brightly today too, but the weather wasn't as hot and humid as it was the first time he arrived at the academy.

Serena glanced at her watch, nodding slightly. "We got about thirty-five minutes," she let out a sigh of relief. "Makes sense since we practically sprinted down here! Would you mind walking in a slow pace back? My feet are aching."

Ash chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Uh sorry, I prefer doing things as fast as possible. But walking slowly seems okay too."

"Thank Arceus," Serena muttered, wiping her forehead as they began walking back. "Hey, why don't we take a shortcut and cross the forest instead? It's a lovely path which leads down to a lake with wild water Pokemon wandering around."

"Wild Pokemon? Shortcut?" Ash's eyes glistered with excitement. "Of course! Let's go, let's go!"

"Please no running!" Serena grabbed his arm as he was about to dash into the forest. "And besides, my mom already told me to make sure you didn't over excite your heart."

Ash groaned in defeat, cursing his sick heart in his head. "Sorry," he apologized. "But are you sure that's the reason? I mean you seemed pretty exhausted by the time we reached the store."

"No, my fitness is just fine," Serena said determinedly, flipping her hair in a joking manner. "I'm just worried about you that's all."

"Sure that is," Ash laughed. "I remember you never participated in the hospital's games that involved physical activity. Just admit running isn't your strong side!"

Serena pouted at him, before smiling again. "Ha, and I remember that you always failed at the drawing contests!"

"What does that have to do anything with running?"

"I was just proving that everyone got strong and weak sides."

"Whatever," Ash said. "And my arm-"

"Oh sorry!" Serena said in an embarrassed manner as she realized she was still clutching at Ash's left arm. Fixing her glance on the ground, she walked beside Ash in silence.

Ash, oblivious to Serena's sudden mood change, narrowed his eyes as the lake came into view. He gasped at the lake's size and was also surprised to see that the water type Pokemon played in the water, happily enjoying each other's company. The lake was surrounded by large trees with bright green leaves, wild flowers in all types of color and the sun rays were reflecting in the water. In short, the view was absolutely breath taking. It kind of reminded him of the times he and Iris used to spend by the pond back at Pallet town. "Iris would've loved to spend some time here," he thought out loud.

Serena tilted her head to the side. "Iris?"

"Oh- I said that out loud!?" Ash mentally face-palmed. "I-I meant that this lake is so beautiful everyone should come here," he tried to cover up for his slip up.

Serena simply giggled and ran up to the lake. She stopped and waved at him. "Look, there's some rental boats over here. Why don't we borrow one and go for a ride?" She asked.

"What about the school gates?" Ash hesitated.

"Come on, it'll be quick!" Serena promised, gesturing him to come closer. "I've always wanted to ride one!" She jumped up and down in excitement.

Ash finally walked over and followed the blonde towards one of the rowboats. She reached out her hand which he gratefully accepted and sat down in a way that he was facing her. He took the initiative to grab the rows and row further into the peaceful lake.

The two sat in silence, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere before drowning into schoolwork. Serena blushed at the thought of them alone like this, in such a romantic situation. 'Reminds me of that boat scene in the Little Mermaid,' she thought as a smile crept up on her face. 'Could this be? A small date-?'

Serena opened her eyes only to see Ash looking absently at the wild Pokemon swimming around. Clearly, she could see he didn't take this the same way she did. In his eyes, this was just a random boat ride. Nothing more, nothing less. Serena folded her hands in her lap, sighing at how foolish she had been. "This is really peaceful, right?" She interrupted the silence.

Ash snapped back to reality and gave her a lopsided smile. "Huh? Well, yeah..."

"Did you and Iris use to do this a lot?" She continued.

"Well, not exactly," Ash replied, seeming to get more interested to continue the conversation at the mention of the purple haired girl's name. "We used to sit by the side of the pond back at Pallet Town and dip our legs in the water. Sometimes, we pushed each other into the river and then our parents would get furious at the sight of our completely soaked clothes!" He paused to laugh at the memories. "Man, those were the days."

She looked at him, her smiling growing wider as she listened to him ramble about his past adventures with the purple haired girl. There was no doubt, in her mind, that Iris was special to him. "I see," she spoke. Then she noticed how easily he rowed. She felt bad that he was doing all the work, while she sat there like a doll. "Oh, I can row if you want," she made sure to add.

"No, I got it," he replied, grinning at her. He then fixed his gaze at a family of Swannas floating idly beside them, adding tranquility to the lake.

"You and Iris, you seem to be very close?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah," Ash confirmed, a blush appearing on his cheeks. "We.. are."

"That's good," Serena clapped her hands together with a dreamy expression on her face. "Someday, I'd like to be just as close to someone just like you two." She paused to dip her fingers at the lake as they rowed by. The sudden change in his facial expression, the way his eyes glimmered and his body language in general; It was no doubt in Serena's mind there was other things than just good friends he saw in his purple haired friend. She couldn't help but feel quite disappointed that all those feelings that bubbled inside her by all those years were possibly going to be a waste, but it was either that or completely ruin everything between her, Ash and Iris. And she did not want to pick the last option. Deciding that she wanted to get to know the special purple haired girl better, she went back to reality.

"You know Ash, I'm glad you decided to attend this Academy. Otherwise we might not have meet and spend time together like this."

"It was a very surprising coincidence," Ash agreed. "I'm glad to spend time with you too, Serena. Just like we used to the few days we had back at the Children Hospital. I might hate needles and medicines, but your company made it a lot easier."

Serena smiled warmly at him. "I'm glad to hear so. So, should we head back now?"

"Sounds reasonable enough," Ash sweatdropped. "Or else we have to sprint again."

"No, we're not!" Serena argued, only making him laugh harder.

"Whatever you say."


	9. Doubt

Iris rested her hands behind her head as she looked out the window and up at the stars twinkling in the inky black night sky. She listened quietly as Pikachu and Axew were still playing games and running around in her small dorm. She had already told them countless times that they had to slow down in attempt to not break anything, but her words were always soon forgotten.

The teen with purple hair slumped down in her red couch in a sluggish manner. She hadn't seen Ash or Serena since they left for the store. It was the only reason why she had to take Pikachu and Axew with her to the Nursing room to continue her work. That was a bad idea though, since the two found a way to have fun even though she and Audino told them to sit still by the waiting chairs. Long story short, both of them managed to make such loud uproars that they were driving everyone insane! And because of that, Iris was now suffering from a mild headache.

To help get mind of it, Iris reached into her pocket and pulled out the list of Ash's wishes and scanned through the paper. The first thing written in Ash's sloppy handwriting, 1. Have a Pokemon battle, had been neatly crossed off. Dropping her brown gaze downwards, Iris read the next thing listed on the paper.

_2\. Break a rule_

Technically, if he and Serena didn't make it in time, they kind of broke a rule? Does that count?

"Pika pika?" Pikachu leaped into her lap, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Oh hi Pikachu," she greeted the electric mouse, quickly scrunching the paper and putting it back in her pant pockets. Pikachu didn't bother to be his curious self and snatch the paper out of her hands. He was tired and was wondering where his trainer could be at this time.

"I haven't gotten any messages from Ash yet, sorry," Iris apologized, pulling out her cell phone and showing him the display. "I promise to tell you as soon as he does, though," she reassured him with a small smile.

When Pikachu was out of sight, Iris sat up and stretched her arms. Where could that little kid be?! It was definitely not like him to suddenly disappear like that. As she noticed that Axew and Pikachu was about to play something else, she decided that she had enough. "Pikachu, Axew," she spoke. "We're heading to Ash's dorm."

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered, jumping on top of Iris' shoulder.

"Ax ew!" Axew waddled towards Iris and spread his arms wide.

Iris grabbed the baby dragon type and headed toward the door. Making sure to lock it behind her, she began dashing down the hallway and stairs. Soon she was by the main door where the receptionist lady sat behind her desk. She looked up from her computer and fixed her glance on the purple haired girl and the two Pokémon.

"Hi there," she greeted cheerily. "Can I help you?"

"Um yes," Iris admitted. "Do you know if Ash Ketchum is in his dorm?"

"Ash?" She repeated, looking thoughtful. "No, I haven't seen him since this morning. Sorry. Shall I bring him a message, maybe?"

"No, it was nothing important," Iris said, earning a slight nudge by Pikachu. "Besides, it's not that late..."

"Okay," the lady said with a polite smile. "See you later then."

"Yes, later," Iris waved. She headed out of the building and enjoyed the cold breeze on her face. The fresh air made wonders for her headache as she followed the stone path. Noticing a figure talking on his phone, Iris tilted her head curiously to the side. The figure looked...extremely familiar. Since she had Pikachu and Axew with her, two Pokemon that wouldn't hesitate to defend her if need be, Iris decided to walk closer. The figure constantly shook his head and made large hand gestures as he continued to speak loudly.

Iris gasped in realization when she noticed the figure's spiky brown hair and slender appearance. "Gary?"

The boy paused mid sentence as his blue eyes darted over to her. Much to her surprise, Gary seem to stare at her in what seemed like a rather long moment before he quickly muttered a bye and placed his phone back in his pocket. He stood still for a while before slumping down on the grassy ground.

Iris, confused by his sudden change in personality, did the same. He wrapped his arms around his knees and let out a sigh. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I- I was just taking a small stroll out with Pikachu and Axew," she explained, motioning to the two Pokemon. "And.. you?"

Gary looked expressionlessly at the ground. "Just... talking to someone," he gulped. "Nothing too important."

"Okay," Iris said. "So what were you going to tell me earlier today? Before you suddenly disappeared?"

"Oh that," he replied tiredly. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood for that."

The purple haired girl frowned at Gary's instant refusal. "But why-"

"Tell you what, I promise to tell you another time. Besides," He looked up at Pikachu. "Isn't he Ashy-boy's Pokemon?"

"Oh, Pikachu?" Iris replied. "Yeah, Ash hasn't returned since he left during lunch time. By any chance, have you seen him?"

Gary blinked at her, like he was deciding to answer her or not. He noticed the yearning and desperate look on her face and decided to answer her after all. "He and Serena barely made it to battle class. For some reason, both of them seemed to get along very well. Don't you think that's weird for two people that just have met?"

"Um no," Iris said with a frown. "Ash and Serena met each other where they were small, just like how Ash and I are childhood friends. I don't think it's weird for them to get along well at all. But maybe it is for you who don't let people get to know you easily."

"Pfft, you're the one to talk!" Gary laughed slightly, cheering up a little. "I've tried to get close to you since your first day, but you were the one to not letting me."

"I'm sure you know why," Iris huffed, noticing he was turning into his old self again. "You know what, I'm kinda don't have time for this. I'll leave you alone."

"Wait," Gary said in a hushed tone, lightly pulling Iris back by holding her arm. Pikachu made attempts to thunderbolt him, but Iris put up a warning finger. Rolling his eyes, Pikachu obeyed her.

"What?" Iris asked. In response Gary gestured towards the left. Following his hand towards the main gate, Iris was able to make out two figures. After a bit of squinting, Iris's eyes widened as she realized the two figures were Ash and Serena! Her heart fluttered with happiness and relief, and a warm feeling spread in her stomach. Finally, there he was! Her happiness was cut short though, when the two shared a hug.

"Huh, what?" Iris blinked.

"That could be a friendly hug though," Gary reassured her with a smirk. "But you know friendship is the first step into love."

"You're not making me feel better," Iris yanking her hand away from his grasp and scooping up Axew.

"Just saying," Gary replied, still watching the two with interest. "Besides, didn't you just say you two are childhood friends? Why does it bother you seeing he and that girl...uh Sarah or whatever hug?"

"It's Serena," Iris corrected him. "And it doesn't bother me, it's just that he suddenly disappears without telling me or Pikachu anything and then we catch him hugging another girl!"

"Suuure that's why," Gary rolled his eyes. Then he whistled loudly, catching Ash and Serena's attention. The two of them, who was now just having a normal conversation, looked up in surprise. "Hey Love birds! Over here!"

Iris cringed at the term 'love birds' and glared at Gary. Why did he care? And why did he have to bring the two of them here? And lastly, why did she care so much? Sure yes she loved Ash a little bit more than a friend, but but she didn't think her attraction towards him could so easily make her heart feel like it was going to shatter into pieces by witnessing such a simple act as a hug! By now Iris didn't even want to see Ash. But if she liked it or not, she had to return Pikachu.

Forcing herself to stay, she sat down beside Gary again.

"Hey Gary, Iris," Ash greeted as he approached them. He failed to get Iris's attention, so he turned to Gary instead. "What's up?"

"Oh, just enjoying the cold breeze just like you two," he simply replied. "So, how did your study date go?"

"Study date?" Ash asked curiously. "Um, I'm not sure if you can study and go on a date on the same time..."

Serena, ignoring his denseness, decided to go on. "No, we just met. We parted our ways when I left for piano lessons, and Ash went to do train extra with Burgh in battle class."

"Yes about that, I'm sorry Iris," Ash apologized, glancing at the upset purple haired girl.

Pikachu, sensing the tensed atmosphere, jumped down from Iris' shoulder and up to Ash's. "Hey, Iris?"

"I heard you, and it's... okay," she forced herself to say.

"So," Gary spoke, deciding to milk the most out of the conversation. "What was that hug for?" He raised his eyebrows at the two. "It wasn't necessary, was it?"

"Ah that," Serena blushed. "Ash lost his cell phone when we went to buy that alarm clock, and we went out to look for it. I found it and returned it just now, and out of happiness we just shared a hug," she shrugged. She then felt a wave of guilt hit her as she looked at Iris's unhappy expression. She was so lost in her own happiness, that she forgot about the other girl's! Serena immediately closed her mouth, deciding to not ruin the moment any further.

"At least we know why you didn't respond to my texts then," Iris smiled weakly. "So, we'll see you all later." Iris quickly got up and ran towards the dorm building.

"Iris, wait!" Ash yelled, turning short to look at Gary and Serena. "I'll see you two later, too," he said before dashing after the purple haired girl.

"What have I done," Serena mumbled with her back towards Gary.

"Done what?" Gary asked cluelessly, looking at the scene where Ash was chasing Iris.

"I- I just-" Serena cut herself short as she snapped her head at Gary. "You!" She accused, pointing a finger at his face. "This isn't all my fault! It's yours too!"

"What did I do?" Gary asked, even though he was smirking rather smugly.

"Why did you have to call us lovebirds and whistle at us?! Didn't you see how uncomfortable Iris was with that?"

"Well I might have," Gary admitted. "But I'm just doing this for their own good."

"How the hell are you doing this for their own good?! You're just acting selfish! And if you can't see that, I feel very sorry for you, you freaking womanizer!"

"Whoa, whoa, cool missy," Gary said with a surprised expression. Who could know a shy and timid girl like her could explode like that when someone pushed her buttons. "And besides, you don't even know why I'm doing this now, but you will later. And about Ash's condition..." Gary stood up and brushed his pants. "I might know better about it than you do. Now, please don't think so lowly of me. I'm not doing this because it's fun or anything."

"I don't get it," Serena said in a calm manner, surprised by his words.

"You will later on," he explained and started to walk off. "Night," he called over his shoulder.

Serena watched as he calmly walked back into the dorm building, a curious frown forming on her face. She'll never understand that guy.

* * *

"No, Axew, you didn't do anything," Iris told the little dragon type as she hugged him close to her chest. "Nobody actually did anything...I'm sorry for suddenly acting weird."

"Ax ew ew?" Axew asked, looking up at her again.

"M- maybe I'm just tired, that might just be all," she concluded with a sigh. Looking up at the full moon brightening up her sight. "We should head back. I don't think we're even allowed to be here," she continued, looking around the empty rooftop. Arceus knew how she had managed to swung out of her dorm window and up to the rooftop. The silence embraced them once again, making her feel sleepy.

"Iris?"

The girl flinched at the familiar voice, hugging Axew closer. No, not now. She didn't feel like talking to anyone just now.

She watched as a pair of hands clutched on the concrete wall. Soon Ash's head popped up, and he smiled in relief as he noticed her sitting on the rooftop. "I knew you'd be up here!" Ash pulled his body up and jumped down on the concrete floor. He was about to take a few steps closer but Iris turned her body away from him.

"You know you shouldn't be climbing or in the very least running after me," Iris stated as she glanced over her shoulder and brown eyes trained themselves on the raven haired boy. "Such activities could-"

"I know, I know, you don't have to always remind me." Ash muttered, as an annyoed look flashed across his face. The expression made Iris feel a tad guilty, she knew how much Ash disliked it when the subject of his heart condition surfaced, even though it was important.

Deciding to change the subject Iris asked in a calm voice. "How did you find me?"

"Well, I kinda expected that you were here from the start, even though you ran away from me," he said. "You always would always climb up to the highest place you could find when you were sad or angery, remember?"

Iris couldn't help but smile, Ash knew her too well. "And then dad would call the firemen when I refused to come down on my own," she finished his sentence.

"Or if you happen to get stuck up where you were hiding and couldn't get down," he added with a laugh, which earn him a playful punch and a giggle from his friend. There was a bit of silence and Ash took the moment to sit down beside Iris and watched the moon overhead for a while longer before turning to look at the girl with purple hair. "Um...I-Iris?"

"Yeah, Ash?" She responded, not bothering to turn away from the sight of the glowing full moon.

Seeing that Iris was still a tad upset about before he cleared his throat and quickly muttered. "I just w-wanted to say that I'm really sorry about today. I said I'd h-hang out with you a-and I didn't keep my word. I know I could've at least pop up in the Nurse's office to say hi, but I got distracted with battle class. Burgh was really amazing and taught me a lot about battle strategies!"

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Iris admitted, a smile tugging at her lips at the abundance of enthusiasm that was in Ash's voice when he spoke about Pokemon and battling. "And uh I- I'm not mad at you...I was just kinda w-worried about you, but now...I-I'm just really relieved that you're alright and..." She let her voice trail off as she decided not to mention his condition again. Flashing a small smile Iris finished. "I just need to calm down that's all."

"I understand," Ash said, returning her smile with a toothy grin. "I didn't mean worry you and Pikachu so much. I promise to make up everything as soon as possible."

"Sounds good, Ash," Iris said as gently leaned over and rested her head at his shoulder and a yawn escaped her lips, a reminder of how tired today's work has left her.

Ash felt his heartbeat increase at the sudden contact from Iris. The arching feeling he felt this morning appeared again, only in a milder form. He was about to panic, but it dawned on him that it was Iris that was making his heart beat faster and his face warm with an unexpected heat. Ash really didn't understand why since Iris would always do this back in Pallet town after a long day of playing outside and she was waiting for Drayden to call her home. However, having lean against him was making him feel terribly embarrassed, so much so that he couldn't really handle it. "Um...I-Iris," He flinched slightly when his voice cracked upon saying her name. Her dark chocolate eyes glanced up at him with an inquiring look. "C-Could you...I-I mean...uh...my shoulder," he stammered.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, sitting up properly as she yawned again. "I'm just kinda tired…"

"No, it's fine," he replied, feeling a little stupid that he had told her to stop leaning on his shoulder. "You know, we aren't really supposed to be up here."

"How did you know?"

"There's sign on that door over there reads 'Do not enter' in big bold letter."

"Whoops," Iris giggled as she turned and noticed the rather obvious sign. "I guess we broke a rule here on our first day." Iris giggled.

"I'm not really surprised, since you're here with me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Ash laughed as Iris slapped his back.

"What was that?" Iris asked, snapping her heads towards the door again.

"What was what?"

"I thought I heard something."

"Must've been your imagination," Ash shrugged.

"There it was again!"

The two of them jumped slightly as the door suddenly went flying open, revealing a very angry guard! He pointed his flashlight at their direction and gasped at the sight. "You two! What are you doing here so late!? Don't you know you're not supposed to be here?" He yelled angrily, walking towards them.

Ash and Iris froze, and Axew hid his face behind Iris' arm. Suddenly Ash tugged Iris arm and forced her up on her feet. "I don't know about you but I really don't want detention," he smiled playfully at her. "Let's run."

"Normally I wouldn't allow that, I guess I could make an exception this one time." she said with a wink. "Let's go!"

"What are you two talking about? Come here and we'll go see the principal together."

"Do not think so," Iris said as she and Ash ran around him. "See ya!"

"Hey!" He yelled as he ran after them though the open door. "I demand you two to stop before you get into a lot more trouble!"

Ash and Iris just laughed in response, they were both fast runners and had no fear of getting caught. Luckily for them the guard didn't bring any Pokemon.

And just like that, with Ash's hand in Iris's, both of them set off towards both of their separate dorms, both exhausted by this long day.


	10. Gary's secret

**Before we start I would like to thank my dear friend Toadettegirl2012 once again for all of the help she's given me! I would never be able to do this without her**

* * *

Ash heaved a sigh as he lay in bed with his arms behind his head. It was around five o'clock in the morning and he had drifted in and out of sleep the whole night. Turning to his drawer across the room, a smile tugged at his lips as he eyed Pikachu, who laid sleeping peacefully in his basket filled with fluffy blankets. The light of the early morning sun shone weakly through the window, making Ash groan in annoyance. Now that the room was slightly brighter he knew it would be hard to fall into deep sleep again. Not that it made much of a difference, since he knew he'd awaken a short time after he drifted off.

Fed up with just laying still, Ash started to sit up, but as he did so, something grabbed his attention. Turning to his nightstand, the raven haired teen eyed the two nicely framed pictures that he had been placed there upon the day of his arrival. One was the nostalgic collage of pictures he had received from Iris the day she had found out about his heart condition. The other one was a photo of Delia and himself as a young boy.

His beloved mother was smiling brightly at the photographer while he was sitting on her lap looking up at his mother curiously. Ash could recall that he had been no more than one or two years old, during the time when they were blissfully unaware that he was ill. His symptoms didn't really kick in until he reached four years old after all.

Ash's amber eyes lingered on this mother for a while. Her smile seemed so genuine, so happy. Maybe she was optimistic for the future, unaware of the problems and hardships that came with his disease that would soon surface. A wave of sadness washed over Ash as the image of her usual panicked expression, when a small heart attack would strike him, appeared in his head. No matter how well she handled the situation, he could see the sadness behind her act.

"Don't you worry, mom, I promise I'll emerge victoriously out of this hell." The raven haired teen smiled and trailed his finger over the frame. Turning his attention the other picture frame his smile turned into a wide grin as he was greeted with the joyous expressions he and his childhood friend displayed in the photos. "And I'll make sure Iris and Pikachu will be there to see that too. I really appreciate all of you."

Just as those words had left his lips the light from the early morning sun broke through a cloud that covered it, amplifying it's brightness. The rays of light reflected on the glass on the picture frames, making them light up brightly. It kind of felt like even nature was on his side. Ash chuckled softly at the silly thought, but he felt better already. Yep, everything would be fine.

Feeling restless, Ash decided to go out for a small morning walk. He tossed the blanket aside and jumped up before stretching his arms over his head. In doing so Ash made his way to his closet and pulled out his favorite green sweater. He had told his mother that it would be unnecessary to bring that sweater due to the uniform jacket he was required to wear, but as for now he was happy that she managed to sneak it into his suitcase anyway. Not only was the sweater warm and comfy, but it was perfect to wear out in the chill of the morning air.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked in a sleepy voice as he lifted his head at the sound of his master moving about.

"Just going out for a walk," Ash said as he replaced his night shirt for the sweater. "Want to join me, buddy?"

Normally Pikachu wouldn't join him and go straight back to sleep. But knowing his careless trainer, he knew Ash could get lost or get himself into some kind of trouble. The electric mouse cried inwardly as he left his precious, temporary bed and bounded over to Ash.

"Okay, let's go then," Ash smiled widely as he helped Pikachu up on his shoulder. Pikachu yawned as his raven haired trainer exited the room and walked down the hallway. Careful not to make any loud noises he made his way down the stairs and out of the building.

Ash inhaled the crisp, morning air and let it out slowly through his nose. "Isn't this nice, buddy? A refreshing walk early in the morning! Just the two of us."

"Pika," Pikachu groaned, wondering how the raven haired teen could be so upbeat at such an unholy hour. The electric mouse wished nothing else but to return to his bed.

Ash didn't seem to pick up on his partner's slight unhappiness as he strolled down the pathway. He continued to walk for a couple of minutes until he reached the main gate. As usual it was closed, so he decided to walk around the park area before returning to his dorm. He was about to turn around and head back but stopped short when he saw two figures standing a couple of meters away from the gate, deep in a conversation.

As usual Ash's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to take a step towards the two. "Pika pika," Pikachu scolded him, tugging his hair lightly, those two conversion was none of their business!

"I know, but for all we know they could be up to something," Ash replied, quickly even though it was completely illogical. "It is really early in the morning, after all!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu deadpanned.

"Who's that?" A small voice spoke up, snapping Ash and Pikachu's heads towards the two figures.

Ash noticed that one person was standing behind the fence, and the other was on their campus. The one behind the fence was clearly a young woman. She held a grocery bag which she passed over the guy. The guy was none other than Gary. It seemed to Ash that he reluctantly accepted the bag, avoiding her gaze and glaring down at the ground.

"Just some new kid," Gary muttered under his breath.

The lady, which had brunette hair in the same shade as Gary's and appeared to be slightly older than him, smiled warmly at the duo. "Good morning!" She cheerily greeted them. "You're a friend of Gary, yes? Aww, I'm so happy our little Gary is finally opening up to people!" She squealed while reaching out to pinch his cheek. The brunette sharply swatted her hand away before she could though, making her cross her arms in dismay.

"Well, I wouldn't really consider us as friends," Ash started to say as he rubbed the back of his head, but Gary cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Okay Daisy, I get it! You can leave now!" Gary shooed her off.

"Aw come on little brother! You want me to leave already?" The one now known as Daisy pouted at him playfully, bringing her finger up to her chin in the process.

"Yes," Gary replied sharply as he turned away from her. "And thanks for the stuff you brought," he added in a softer voice. "Tell mom and grandpa I said hi, alright? Tell them to not worry about me, I'm having a good time here."

A look of sadness crossed Daisy's face for a short moment before her cheerful smile replaced it again, almost so soon that one wouldn't notice it if they didn't look closely. "Okay, I'll do that. See you then, little bro!" She waved at his back before turning to Ash and Pikachu. "Have a nice day as well," she smiled at the two before she hurried over to a red car, got in and drove off.

Ash watched the car drive away until it exited his field of vision. "Was that your sister?" He asked as he turned back to the brunette.

Gary jerked his gaze away from the ground. "Don't tell anyone," he spoke sharply.

"About what? That your sister brought groceries to you?" Ash asked as he eyed the bag that Gary clutched in his arms.

"Yeah. It'll ruin my image if people found out that I have such a clingy family," he glanced over at Ash before walking down the pathway that lead to the football field.

Ash exchanged a quick look with Pikachu before turning around and heading towards the opposite direction. Even if there was lots of time till classes started, he'd like to rest in his room first. Pikachu didn't seem to mind heading back either. He was already struggling to keep his eyelids open.

"Oi!"

Ash turned to see Gary was nodding towards the sport fields. "I need to talk to you," he stated before walking off to his destination.

"About what?" Ash asked Pikachu curiously. Pikachu just shrugged as to indicate him to follow the brunette. Hesitating a little, Ash picked up on his pace and followed Gary to one of the football fields.

Gary stopped beside a bench and dropped his bag on it. "So Ash Ketchum," he started. "I heard you got a heart disease. A rare one, was it?"

Amber eyes widened slightly. Ash was completely taken back at his bold and blunt statement. How did he know? He had been careful not to reveal anything that could make people wonder if he was sick. Even Pikachu stared at him in utter surprise.

Gary took his silence as a confirmation. Smirking ever so slightly, he reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of orange soda. "You want some?" He asked and held the bottle to him.

Ash stared at it in dismay, and finally Gary took it back and unscrewed the lid. "Oh, my bad, I should've known already that you can't have sweets very often."

"How did you know?" Ash asked in a shaky voice, his fist clenching without his knowledge. Pikachu noticed this and put a reassuring paw on his trainer's shoulder to help calm him down.

The brunette took a sip of the drink. "I happen to know someone who suffered from a heart disease too, not so different from yours. That's why I know a lot about it. Maybe more than you and Iris, combined." Gary paused before saying in a bluntly in a dull tone. "That person died."

A small gasp escaped Ash's lips, but it went unnoticed to the brunette. Despite feeling his heartbeat increase, he forced himself to stay a little longer to hear what the guy had to say. Besides the sudden change of pace in his chest wasn't causing him any sort of pain so he listened attentively as Gary started to speak again.

"That person was waiting for a heart donor, like you probably are. But those things can take ages and requires a great amount of patience. He kept waiting, but in the end...he didn't get a donor in time." Gary ran a hand through his spiked hair as he sighed. Ash and Pikachu remained silent as they waited for Gary to continue. "That person I'm talking about, just so happened to be my father."

Ash gave a mere nod as he fixed his eyes on the ground. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly.

"Don't worry about it. Besides nothing we can do about it now," he replied. "Anyway, what I'm saying is that dying from a heart disease isn't rare. That's why I'm interested in the people that's left behind. My mother is still shattered over my father's death even if he left us when I was ten. We suffered for years, and we still do. My sister and grandpa had to take care of me ever since that fateful day. And my mother...she has never really left her dark bedroom. Sure there are days she'll jump out of bed, bathe, put on nice clothes and is determined to start fresh again, but then suddenly the next day she'll give up and close the curtains. It's like a vicious never-ending cycle."

Ash looked up from the ground and faced the brunette, amber eyes wide with a glimmer of concern in them.

"What a fate," Gary spoke as he shook his head sadly. He then looked at Ash. "Now I don't know how bad your heart condition is but I'm gonna assume that you've lived with it long enough to know that your disease will affect the people around you to some extent."

Ash nodded to confirm his words. "I know. That's the reason why I let very few people know about my heart problem." Ash said softly, not noticing how his hand reach up and placed itself on his chest, right over where the vital organ was located. "It keeps them from worrying if anything happens to me." Ash then glared at Gary and added. "And you better make sure no one else learns about it, am I clear Gary?" The last thing he wanted was his middle school years the repeat themselves.

"Yeah, yeah I won't go blabbing about your personal life." He paused to drain the last of his soda. "However I'm curious to know if you ever thought about Iris." Ash stiffened at the sound of his friend's name. "You two seem to be very close and I'm sure she'd be terrified if anything happened to you."

Ash watched the brunette toss the empty bottle into a nearby trash can all the while trying to keep his tumbling emotions from expressing themselves on his face. Even so Pikachu could detect the uneasiness seeping from his trainer. Knowing that Gary was the cause of Ash's distress Pikachu frowned and sparked his cheeks at him.

Keeping a cautious eye on the electric type Gary continued. "When I found out about your heart condition, it occurred to me that you'll eventually put Iris through endless despair and sorrow. She'll never look at you the same again. She'll never stop worrying about you. She'll never know when you're getting a heart donor, or even worse, if you'll get one on time. The pain of losing someone you care dearly for is horrible. I ... I can't put it into words." Gary turned away from Ash and fixed his glance on the sun making it slow climb in the morning sky. "Even if I might not show it much, I'm still devastated everyday about my father. He fought so hard to try to save his life, but his disease ripped him away from us in a slow and painful way. He didn't deserve that, and...my family and I don't deserve to be without him."

Not knowing how to respond to such a statement Ash quickly repeated. "I- I'm sorry to hear that and I understand," Ash's hair fell down his face as he averted his eyes to the ground and continued. "But for all I know it could turn out for the better for me. I'm not giving up just because people tell me so. I'll keep believing until I get a heart donor, and if I don't...well then at least I know I had a pleasant life."

Gary gave a small laugh. "Very well, Ketchum. I admire your optimistic way of thinking, but that won't change the fact that you can end up hurting Iris more than you can imagine."

Ash felt his jaw clench at these words. Keeping his face downcast he couldn't help but think, 'Does this guy seriously think I have a zero chance of surviving?' The thoughts caused anger to bubble up in his chest but Ash was suddenly distracted from his unhappiness when out of the corner of his eyes he saw something sparkling.

Automatically fixing his eyes on the sparkling item, he found himself looking at his old bracelet that was on his wrist. The little silver half heart pendant dangled from it as he lifted his hand slightly to get a better view. A little smile formed on his sad face as the early sun rays reflected on the colorful bracelet. And like earlier back at his dorm, the same feeling of serenity washed over him.

Sighing Ash lifted his head and said to Gary. "If I don't want to hurt Iris...what do you suggest I to do? I can't just stop talking to her."

"Oh really?" Gary laughed again, but this time it sounded kind of forced. A hard look crossed his face as he fixed his blue eyes on the raven haired boy. "So why did you come here?"

The smile vanished from Ash's face as Gary strolled towards him. "W-What do you mean?"

"It was to put a distance between the two of you, wasn't it? So that you couldn't harm her anymore than you already have in case if something bad happened to you?" The brunette stopped in front of him. "Am I right?"

"H-How come you know so much?" Ash stated suspiciously as he pulled his sleeve over his bracelet.

"Well..." Gary shrugged as he draped an arm over Ash's shoulders. "We both come from a small town where everyone knows each other. Even though I barely attended kindergarten and was homeschooled after that, the town's gossip reached my family, eventually. In fact, my Grandpa was the one to give you your Pikachu after all."

"Come to think of it... you do look familiar," Ash narrowed his eyes at the brunette. He could swear he had seen him somewhere, but that wasn't at school or kindergarten. His memory was blurry, and all he could seem to remember was white walls. He had no idea why everything he could remember was all white though.

"I met you at the hospital a decade ago. I was visiting my dad when I bumped into you and a nurse. I don't remember much, but I think we played with some Legos and talked until Grandpa picked me up," Gary told him plainly, pulling away from Ash and starting to walk again he added. "It's nothing much, but that memory never seemed to leave my mind."

"Sorry, but I can't seem to remember that ever happening," Ash sweatdropped and gave a small laugh. "Must of been all of the meds they had me on... they usually made my head all fuzzy."

"Whatever. The rest of the information I received about you was in your school files. Don't worry, I'm the only one beside the school staff who's got access to it. I'm not going to spill your secret," Gary said smugly. "But I figured out myself about the part where you joined this academy to put a distance between you and Iris. That one's a classic. My father did the same to us by setting off on a final journey across Kanto."

"Oh," Ash spoke as he picked up on his sudden mood change.

"Look Ash, It's not really my business to butt into your life and tell you what's right or wrong, but what you're doing isn't right." Gary stated bluntly. "That being said I'm going to offer you something, and I want you to think carefully about it."

"Okay," Ash nodded, ready to take whatever Gary would throw at him.

"To prevent Iris from going through an emotional rollercoaster, I want to make her mine while you're still alive. Consider this as a safe opportunity to put distance between her even though she's right here at the academy. That's what you wanted in the first place, right?" Gary flashed him a confident smirk.

Ash gave a sigh as he exchanged a quick look with his electric partner. It bugged him to admit that what Gary said had been true, but he had a bad feeling about this anyway. The last thing he wanted was for Iris to have to endure heart wrenching sorrow if his condition went south but on the other hand, the thought of just 'giving away' your closest friend since childhood to a random guy seemed wrong no matter how he looked at it. It's true he hadn't expected Iris to be at the academy as well, but for all he knew it could turn out to be the better. He refused to give in to Gary Oak so easily.

"No I...I just can't do that," Ash finally spoke up. "Not to Iris. She's far too important to me to allow that."

"How come? You got feelings for her or something? What a waste," Gary spoke, his voice sounding kind of apologetic. "I just wanted to help you out."

"By pretending to like her?" Ash snapped. "No one deserve to be lied to like that just to keep them away from someone who might hurt them," Ash shook his head. "Iris is worth so much more than that! I can't believe how you even dared to ask me something so ridiculous," Ash spat through his gritted teeth and turned away to leave.

"Whoa, calm down Ashy," Gary replied. "I never said that I don't have feelings e's an interesting and a rather cute girl which I have taken quite a liking to. I thought about asking her out way before knowing about your condition if you-"

"Let's have a battle," Ash suddenly stated with his back turned to the brunette. Pikachu had leapt down from his shoulder and gave a proud cry of his name.

"A battle?" Gary snorted as he shook his head. "A battle would just overexcited your heart, kiddo. And I'm not dumb enough to help you commit suicide."

Ignoring Gary's taunting Ash pointed over towards a large empty field. "We didn't finish our battle the other day," He reminded him. "And like last time, we're making this battle interesting."

"How? If you want your ten apples you can get them right away," Gary gave a roll of his eyes as he walked over to his grocery bag.

"No. If you win, I'll keep my distance to Iris like I promised myself I should. But if I win..." Ash paused to look Gary in the eyes. Amber brown clashed with bright blue as Ash continued in a deadly tone. "Don't ever go near her again. I want you out of our business for good."

Gary stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes at the raven haired teen. He appeared to be deep in thoughts as he crossed his arms. After staring at the distance for a while, he turned back to Ash. "If that's what you want...then I'll be more than happy to accept your challenge, Ketchum." he declared with a confident smirk. "But don't think for a second that I'll go easy on you."

* * *

Iris stifled a yawn as she plopped herself down on the comfy couch in the small room next to Nurse Joy's office. The pink haired nurse made sure to carefully close the door before sitting down on a chair across from Iris. She browsed through the papers she had sorted into a thick stack and handed half of them to the purple haired teen.

This was a part of their usual morning routine. They would talk about what had happened the last shift and continue from there. Iris sloppily accepted the papers and made an effort to read through them. But due her drowsy state, the words just blurred into one another. Great.

"So let's go though the report," Joy smiled at her warmly before looking down at one of the selected papers again. "I received this afternoon report from Audino who worked late yesterday. According to her, things had been rather quiet after school hours like it normally is. Well, beside your two Pokemon running around and playing that is," the nurse sweatdropped.

"I'm sorry," Iris apologized and gave a small laugh. "It won't happen again. The girl next door to my room agreed to take care of Axew until my morning shift is off and Pikachu is with Ash today."

"That's good to hear," Joy giggled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't really laugh but things have been so lively around here after you started working. Even Audino who's always serious at work couldn't help but stifle a laugh every time your Pokemon did something funny."

"As I said, I love helping you around," Iris saluted in a playful manner, her fatigue soon forgotten.

"But even if your positive energy is a good ability, Iris, please try to keep it in check while you're working. The students who drop by need serious treatment, even if it's only taking medicine or get a band aid," Nurse Joy said sternly.

"Okay, I understand," Iris nodded. "So is it anything special that's happening today?"

The pink haired nurse tapped her chin as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. "Other than that meeting that's happening after lunch... I have appointments with some girls who'll drop by throughout this shift. While I'm talking to them it would be nice if you could check on the Pokémon or students who drop by. And please just ask me if there's something you don't understand. I'm always there if you need me, alright?" Joy smiled at her.

"Okay," Iris replied, sitting up properly.

"And if there's nothing else that has to be done, feel free to study and read through those books I sent to you. I know they'll come in handy," Joy winked.

Iris had received a couple of books from Joy. Mostly they were about anatomy, the art of communicating and professional practice. Even if the purple haired teen couldn't stand reading, she had to admit some of the chapters were quite interesting. Especially the book about communication. While she could be quite stubborn and short tempered at times, she knew she couldn't act like that towards their patients. With the exception of Gary the other day, she thought she did pretty well. And that's all thanks to that one book (and of course the ones Drayden made sure she read before attending the Academy).

"Well, if you excuse me I'm going to prepare the morning medicines before the students wake up," Joy got up and put the papers in the drawer next to her. "Oh, in the mean time you could help me-"

The pink haired nurse was cut off as someone opened the main door with so much force that it slammed it into the wall, creating a large echo through the empty room.

"NURSE JOY!" A male voice called loudly. "NURSE JOY, IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

"What in heaven's name is this uproar about?" Joy wondered out loud as she exited the small report room and into the main room.

Iris followed her curiously but stopped as Joy froze in her tracks. Her hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped. "What happened?!" The nurse didn't wait for an answer as she rushed over to the guy's side.

A strangled cry escaped Iris' lips and her brown eyes widened in horror as they took in sight before her. Gary was out of breath, leaning against the doorframe, with Ash hanging limply on his back. His raven bangs draped lazily over his closed eyelids, almost making her beloved friend to appear to be asleep. But he couldn't be, not with the way air could be heard entering and exiting his form with uneven and almost painful sounding gasps.

The purple haired girl's mind flashed backed to that wonderful day she had met Ash. And the race that left him collapsed on the ground in unimaginable pain. This couldn't be happening not when she hadn't had time to tell Ash how she felt about him!

"I-I don't know what happened." Gary's words pulled Iris from her statue like state, along with Pikachu, who was once standing beside the brunette, leaped towards Iris and into her arms for comfort. "Even though he kept groaning and looking like he was hurting Ash just kept saying that he was fine." The brunette had a distraught look on his face as Nurse Joy reached over and put Ash's arm over her neck. "All of a sudden he fell over. I think he had-"

"That's enough chit chat, Gary, help me bring Ash over on a bed," the nurse commanded as she started to carry, with the assistance of the brunette, the raven haired teen's unmoving form over to one of the rooms where the beds were located.

"H-He had... a he-heart attack," Iris whispered. This realization caused Iris's knees to wobble beneath her and forced Pikachu to squeak in surprise as the girl slumped down onto the tiled floor. "No... A-Ash please..." She knew better than to cry but her sudden burst of emotions allowed tears slip down her face with out her noticing as she watched the scene before her, all the while hoping that it wasn't true.

Gary, having seen Iris's trembling descent to the floor, turned and mouthed something to her, but it went uncomprehended as Nurse Joy demanded, "Iris, pull yourself together!" Her tone was stern but somehow calm at the same time. "We have a patient in need of medical attention! Get off the floor and call for an ambulance immediately!"

"Pika," Pikachu urged Iris, snuggling closer to her.

The purple haired girl was still a tad stunned by how Nurse Joy's mood suddenly became deadly serious as her brow furrowed in concentration as she hovered over Ash's still form on the bed but managed to wobble to her feet."Of c-course...s-sorry I'll g-get right on it." Iris absentmindedly said and held the electric mouse closer. After shakily getting to her feet Iris made her way over towards the phone, she dialed the number and put the phone against her ear.

Wiping her tears stained cheeks the sound of the first ring reached her ears.

Then there was the second rings..

Iris struggled to choke back another sob.

Three rings...

By this point it took all her strength to keep fresh wave of tears welling up in her eyes from spilling over.

"911. What's your emergency?" The person on the other line asked calmly.

Taking a trembling breath Iris stammered out. "Hello...um w-we need an am-ambulance..."

* * *

**x**


	11. Aftermath

Blinding white walls. Distant alarms beeping all around me. Furious sirens screaming in the background. The sound of people actively working and shouting commands loudly, all of which go uncomprehending as the sounds fade in and out and muddle together without my recognition. Throughout all the chaos I long to know what all the commotion was about but I find that lifting my eyelids are a struggle but once I manage everything is blurry and rush by in bursts of color. Through my blurry eyesight I could see people in white clothes hovering over me, like a swarm of bug type Pokémon. I had no idea where they came from or why they were there. They just seemed to appear out of nowhere, like a swarm of bug types surrounding a hove of sweet honey.

"Ashton." The sound of my name filters through to my ringing ears and I try to keep my vison clear to see if I make out which direction the voice had come from, but doing this only causes my already light feeling head to spin. "Ashton Ketchum, can you hear me?" the voice repeats.

I wanted to respond but it was as if I've forgotten how to speak and I produce nothing but a gurgle sound. Due to the frantic exchange of words I can tell that my gurgling sounds isn't what they wanted to hear, but before I could think of why a bright light hits my face. Hating it, I jerk my head away from it but regret the action as that white hot pain clutches my chest and the quickly disperses throughout my whole being. I cry out, thrash and squirm but this seems to encourage agonizing pain to continue to torture me.

"Hey, relax...gotta calm down…" Are the words I hear buzzing all around, in surprisingly soothing tones. I attempt to follow the orders given by breathing in a pattern, but my shaking body was making it difficult. My lack of control seems to worry the people in white because I heard more chatter with a now urgent and worried tone in their voices. "Hey, stay with me!...Ashton!...Come on, keep though eyes open for me buddy…Damn, I think we're losing him again…"The pain rippled from the chest area and over to my left arm and throat. It was unbearable. The white clothed people around me tried to hold me down, but I seem to fight against them, despite knowing that they're trying to help me.

Gasping and wheezing violently, I succumb to constantly losing and regaining consciousness. Each time I force open my eyes, there are more white clothed people, more noise, more machinery surrounding me and the same endless pain. Trying to endure the pain is torturous but thankfully the people in white come to my aid by jabbing a few tubes and wires in my arms and attaching breathing mechanisms to my face. It eases the pain, enough for me to maintain a blurry and disoriented state of consciousness. During these times the people in white hurry about, pricking me, shining lights in my face, placing terribly cold and wet compressions on my forehead and stifling hot and sweating body in which I promptly try to remove or jerk away from, they talk to one another and sometimes even to me, as if I could give them some form of response that wasn't a pain filled groan.

Usually I would hate all this fuss and attention towards me. The feeling of being exposed and helpless. But this time I couldn't care less. Not because I was constantly losing and regaining consciousness, but because of the pain. That agonizing pain I knew so well. One should've thought you'd get used to this type of pain when you're endured it for many years. But no. With each passing pain I could feel myself panicking more and more and I couldn't calm down. My body was on autopilot and I couldn't do anything but endure the seemingly endless agony.

But at some point through all of this, I find a moment where the pain has dulled for a brief moment and find my blurry eyesight transfixed on the magnificent beauty of a sunset being displayed through a nearby window. For a second a burst of joy fills my chest, I was happy to see something that wasn't white or glowing or beeping. But as quickly as the joy came it went and was replaced by the pain residing in my chest, reminding of my current situation.

Another hospital stay.

That meant only one thing.

Each trip to the hospital meant one step closer to the end. My heart was already weak. How long would take before it stopped beating for good?

There were many things I'd like to do before I left this world for good. At this moment I couldn't remember all the wishes, but for some reason an image of my childhood friend materialized in my mind. Much to my dismay, it wasn't a happy image. Iris looked absolutely devastated; her long purple tresses fell down her shoulders in tangles locks and dark circles lined underneath her usually happy big dark brown eyes. What was more disturbing, a steady stream of tears was falling from those eyes and she was wearing a dress. A black one. _'That's how she'll look like after you're gone_', a sinister voice sneered from the back of my head. _'Now it's too late. You should've told her before you died. Now she'll never know_.'

I grit my teeth against this negative thought. This wasn't how I wanted it to end! I've always imagined my future without this heart illness, living my dream as a Pokemon Master with my powerful Pikachu by my side. With family and friends that encouraged and helped me along the long road it took to achieve my dream. There would be a big fancy house. A nice car. A large backyard filled with all kinds of Pokemon from every region.

And Iris.

My closest friend. Yes, she'd be there to. All grown up, with that pretty smile on her face, proud that she reached her own goal of becoming a Dragon Master. We would battle together, not caring who won, and after that I'd pick her off the ground without a single problem. I'd hold her close, smiling and laughing just like she would and just…go through life with the beautiful girl that I was so lucky to meet.

A smile graced my lips, wondering why Iris was so deeply entwined with this image of my happy future and why it came so naturally. But, the answer is rather clear.

I've grown to like her more than a childhood friend.

Letting my heavy eyelids droop close, I loosely fold my trembling hands in prayer. I prayed sincerely and asked for another chance to tell Iris Dragonlight what she means to me. I wasn't ready to leave Earth before I do so.

I could only hope that Arceus could grant my final wish.

But as I finish, a gasp and a series of coughs emit from my mouth, bringing along that numbing pain that hits me in the chest. I hear the machinery go haywire around me. I hear loud voices and can barely make out those people in white rush towards me before everything went black.

* * *

Her sense. Her emotions. Even her physical being. All of it was numb. The purple haired girl couldn't feel anything, even if she tried. Although her big brown eyes viewed the world around her, Iris felt trapped in the blank void of her mind. Waking up and coming to the clinic just seem to magically happen. Iris hadn't recalled getting dress, eating breakfast, saying goodbye to her little green dragon type or even walking the distance from her dorm room to the clinic. But yet here she cutting up Oran berries to preserve for small doses of medicine like Nurse Joy had asked her to do. Each take of the knife against the cutting board came in a slow repetitive pace, this sound along with Nurse Joy's chatter in the background, was the only thing she was aware of in her surrounding environment. However in her mind, it was a different story all on its own.

Memories from the previous day replayed themselves in her mind. Most of it was skipped over, such as her morning and the minimal task she completed at the clinic before her day was abruptly interrupted with a terrible sight. Gary carrying an unresponsive Ash into the clinic. Then came the rush of thoughts and emotions. The shaky and tear filled call to the hospital. The deafening sound of the ambulance pulling up to the academy. The paramedics rushing in and rapidly throwing orders at Nurse Joy as big brown eyes watched in disbelief at all that was going on. Pushing and through the curious crowd of students that had gathered at the front of the building and making it to the front just in time to catch the last glimpse of her raven haired friend, as he remained in a state that appeared to be sleep, as they placed him in the ambulance. Then as quick as it began it was all over. The students dispersed from where the ambulance had been, softly chatting about the events that had just occurred, leaving Iris to just stand there staring out after the white vehicle even though it was long gone.

Iris had remembered the rest of her work day being rather quiet. There were only small exchanges of words between her and Nurse Joy. A handful of students had come in and out, the most interesting case of the day being a kid who was complaining about an ear ache. The hours flew by and Iris had found herself back at her dorm. She had told Axew everything, surprising even herself at how calm and almost nonchalant her tone was and how she had felt nothing, not even when Axew started to cry alongside Pikachu, who refused to leave her side since that morning due to not being able to go to the hospital with Ash, utter most in worry for the raven haired boy.

The purple haired girl's night time routine was also done with the feeling of numbness. It wasn't until Iris had fallen asleep that the pent up emotions bombarded her, attacking her while she was venerable in dreamland. The nightmares were far too much and Iris had awoken to her own screams and sobs. With the help of Axew and Pikachu, the girl was able to cease the tears from falling. However, no matter how much she tossed and turned and tried to count Mereeps, sleep eluded her and only allowed those heart crushing thoughts to run rampant throughout her mind. Not knowing what to do the girl fled from her room, leaving a sleeping Axew and Pikachu behind, and headed outside, climbed the nearest tree and then pulled out her phone and called the one other person that could keep her from breaking down completely.

At first Drayden was alarmed at getting a call from his adopted daughter at such a late hour, but before he could ask what was going on, words were already slipping from Iris's lips. She told him the events of the day, trying hard to keep her voice from catching in her throat with no avail. In the end Iris had started to cry all over again, wishing that her father was here so he could hold her close. And as if he could sense this Drayden had offered to travel to the academy to bring her home in the morning, and to Iris's utter surprise she nearly said yes. But then she realized, she couldn't do that. She couldn't abandon Ash, not now when he needed her most. If she left, it would just show Ash that she couldn't handle his heart problem and that he would have just been better off not telling her about it at all! The purple haired girl knew she had no right to do that, it would crush him. So doing her best to recollect herself, Iris had declined the offer, told Drayden that she would be fine and returned to her room and attempted at sleep once more. She had succeeded …but only managed to get two hours of slumber in before her day began.

So her she was, floating through work. Not paying Nurse Joy's chatter any mind or her actions until she felt a sharp pain in her middle and index finger. "Gah!" Iris cried out, dropping the knife in hand and yanking her fingers to her mouth, only to have the metallic taste of blood splatter on her tongue.

"Oh, Iris, didn't you hear me telling you to be careful?" Nurse Joy asked, getting up from where she sat and coming over to her apprentice. Taking the girl's hand she frowned at the thin layer of skin she had severed off her fingers while chopping the Oran berries. Reaching down and retrieving the first aid kit from under the counter she opened it and removed some bandages "Let's get these bandaged up. Besides a nurse can't help anyone if she's hurt-…Oh! Iris, dear what's wrong?"

"W-Wha?' Iris stammered. She then realized her vison had gone blurry and warm wet trails were making their way down her face. Quickly the girl reached up and started to scrub the tears away, only to have her fingers get stung by the salty tears. "Oh…n-nothing, I-I'm…I'm fine…it's just…I..." The tears wouldn't stop, and as Iris tried to justify why they were falling her voice started to betray her and before she knew it she was sobbing in front of Nurse Joy.

"Oh, honey, it's okay, don't cry." The older woman pulled the young girl close and gently rubbed her back. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up, alright?" Iris, despite being half blinded by tears, followed the nurse to one of the back rooms and sat on the bed. She didn't notice how Nurse Joy's had skillfully bandaged up her fingers or how the pink haired woman soothing words had help cease the flow of tears and even caused her to doze off.

It wasn't until Iris was awoken by a loud crash that she had realized she had fallen asleep. Throwing back the covers and stumbling out of the bed the purple haired girl managed to get over to the front of the clinic only to see Nurse Joy hunched over a spilled pile of empty medicine bottles and other assorted items, "Oh, Nurse Joy, I'm so sorry!" Iris said, rushing up and helping her mentor gather the fallen items. "I was supposed to organize those and I-I didn't mean to f-fall asleep on the job I-I just-"

"No need to explain yourself, dear," Nurse Joy said with a laugh that caused Iris to look up with a confused face. "I could tell that you needed the rest by the way you came in this morning looking absolutely exhausted! And by the way you weren't talking or even smiling I was planning on sending you back to your dorm room after you woke up, but I have a better idea."

"What would that be?" Iris asked, not bothering to stop to look up as she continued to place the items back into the overturned box.

There was a short pause from Nurse Joy, before she sighed and said slowly, "Iris, what happened yesterday was quite unexpected and little scary right?"

At this, the girl went stiff in her spot on the floor, but managed to answer. "Y-Yeah…I guess," those horrid images flashed in the girl's mind once more, blinking them away she added with a weak laugh, "but if I'm going to keep working here at the academy…I-I gonna have to be prepared for sudden surprises."

"Yes, I guess you're right," Nurse Joy bent to the girl's level and took the objects in her trembling hands. "But if I had witness someone rather close to me get rushed to hospital like your friend did yesterday…I don't think I'd be emotionally strong enough to handle coming into work the next day." The purple haired girl stayed silent, her eyes fixated on the titled floor. Sighing Nurse Joy placed a gentle hand on her apprentice's shoulder. "What I'm trying to say Iris, is that I think it would be best if you take the rest of today and tomorrow off to go visit Ash at the hospital."

"But I can't do that!" Iris objected, snapping her head up to look at the pink haired woman with wide brown eyes. "If I don't come to work every day, I can't learn everything you have to teach me! Not only that, I'll probably get kicked out of the academy because I'm not doing my job! I can't-"

"Iris, dear slow down, there's no need to worry besides if you leave Audino and I can easily handle everything here at the clinic," Nurse Joy said, with a grin.

"Aud! Audino!" The pink and crème colored Pokémon chirped as she came up and helped Iris to her feet.

Opening up a draw and pulling out a pad of paper with official looking writing printed on it Nurse Joy said, "And don't worry about the academy," she scribbled a few things on the assigned lines on the paper, "if anyone asks I'll just tell them that you had a personal emergency to attend to." Handing the pad of paper to the girl she pointed to a signature line, "Just sign here and you won't get in any trouble."

"But…aren't these the papers we give to students when they're required to stay in the infirmary here at the clinic or have to go home if they're really sick?" Iris asked, despite taking the pen Iris signing her name anyway.

"Well, yes, but if anyone catches on, I'll just have to sweet talk them into letting your absence slide," The nurse said with a wink. "Now go on and go visit your friend, alright?"

Iris nodded and gave a wide smile. "Oh, thank you Nurse Joy!" She rushed forwards and hugged her mentor tightly.

"With all the help you've been giving me around here, it's the least I could do," Pulling away she quickly removed the small pink hat from the girl's head and took the matching pink apron the purple girl untied from her waist. As the girl dashed out the door she waved, saying, "Tell, Ash I say Best Wishes and that I hope he gets better soon!"

"I will, bye Nurse Joy!" Iris responded.

So now with a new objective in mind, Iris wasted no time in getting ready to head out to the hospital in which her raven haired friend was staying at. 'I should probably take the train, yeah that'll be the fastest,' Iris thought as she hurried through the halls of the school to get to the front gate. 'But what stop is closest to the hospital anyway?' The purple haired girl had only ridden the train a few times, once on her way to the academy and once or twice when Nurse Joy sent her on an errand to get an item that wasn't in walking distance. During those few times, Iris hadn't bothered to memorize any of the stops and now she could end up wasting time trying to figure it out!

As the purple haired girl pondered on a solution to her problem she slowed her pace to a walk now that she was outside in the warm afternoon air and was making her to the academy's front gates. Thankfully an idea struck her and Iris rummaged through her pink side shoulder bag in search of her phone so she could look it up, but upon turning it on she was greeted with a flashing red symbol in the top right corner! "What?! Low battery! I can't have low battery! Ugh, how could this even happen?" But then the girl remembered her phone call to Drayden last night, and how it lasted well over and hour and after crying and all she had been too physically and mentally exhausted to put it on eh charger before collapsing into bed. "Damn it! What the hell am I going to do now?" Iris remonstrated angrily.

"Heh, I didn't think someone with such a pretty face would use such langue." Said a smug voice that Iris knew a bit too well, due to his frequent and unnecessary visits to the clinic.

Sighing softly, the purple haired girl turned to see the brunette boy that was no other than Gary, but then blinked at the shiny red convertible car that was parked near the crab that he was sitting in with those sunglasses and that annoying smirk. "Is there anything I can help you with, Gary?" Iris asked as she placed her dead phone back into her bag.

"No, just curious to know why Nurse Joy's assistant isn't holed up in the clinic like she usually is." Gary said, blue eyes peering over the rims of the sunglasses.

"Nurse Joy gave me the day off," Iris answered, tightening her grip on the strap of her bag and proceeded in walking off. However that didn't stop the brunette nuisance from starting the car and slowly driving beside her. Groaning in annoyance, brown eyes met with blue as Iris added. "And since it's my day off, I'll be heading off campus, and I'd appreciate it if-"

"You're leaving school grounds?"

"Yes and-"

"Dressed like that?"

Iris paused mid-step and fully turned her head to look at the boy in red car. "What? Now you have a problem with what I-GAAHHH!" Her hands flew down to her middle, then to her legs, before grabbing her shoulder bag and hugging it close to her body as her entire face burned red. 'My clothes!' Iris thought in embarrassment. 'I completely forgot to change them!' For at the moment the purple haired girl was wearing her nurse's uniform of that short abdomen revealing pink shirt and white shorts that hugged her backside and showed off her long legs! Without her apron, there was nothing to hide herself behind.

"Hey, no need to look so upset." Gary said, removing his glasses and looked at the red faced girl up and down with interest glimmering in his eyes. "I think the fashion choice is rather daring and very sexy-"

"Shut up, you perverted freak!" Iris shouted, swinging her bag at the boy, who ducked and gave a small nose of surprise. But his head just bobbed back up and he gave a laugh. "UGH! Stop staring at me!"

"Sorry, I just can't help that I'm so attracted to such sweet eye candy," Gary said smugly.

With her face burning beyond compare, Iris turned sharply on her heel. "I'm going to change!"

"Tch, I wouldn't do that if I were you, sweetheart," Gary warned. Iris whirled around; about to angrily demand why, when the bell rang. "I believe that's the lunch bell, and within a matter of seconds students will be flooding the front lawn and heading out to eat lunch together and I'm sure the last thing you want is people see more of you than you'd like, am I right?" The brunette grinned at the purple haired girl's look of distress, but couldn't help but add. "And if you think I'm a perverted freak, heh…well then you'd have another thing coming if you walked in there dressed like that. Trust me; some of the boys here have no shame when it comes to good looking ladies."

Iris growled, hating herself for falling asleep and allowing so much time to pass so that it was now the afternoon and how Gary was probably right! Besides getting to her dorm room meant walking through the heart of the academy, and she couldn't do that, not dressed like this! Drayden would be so mad if he found out! Especially if I get caught by another creeper dude all because I was rushing and forgot to change.' Tugging on locks of her ponytail in frustration Iris turned back around; bag still hugged to her body and started to hurriedly walk off.

"Hey, what's the rush, sweetheart?" Gary questioned, continuing to drive the car up beside the walking girl.

"First of all it's Iris, and second of all I'm heading to the train station. Not that it's any of your business, Oak!" Iris answered.

"The train station?" Gary repeated. He snickered. "And you think walking around the city and riding the train dressed like that won't turn a few heads. Older male heads, might I add?"

"Ugh, fine! What do you suggest then?!" Iris demanded, her patience wearing thin.

"Well, I wouldn't mind taking you where you need to be." Gary offered. He gestured to the passenger's seat in his car.

"Hell, no!" Iris responded without a second thought.

"Ouch, another rejection, sweetheart? Gary said, visibly wincing.

Ignoring his fake expression of hurt she went on to ask, "Besides, don't you have classes to attend to after lunch?"

"Yeah, but you can't be that mad at me, besides I went to three out of my four morning classes, before I deiced to take a spin in my new car." He gave the red convertible a loving pat. "And after suffering through Juniper's class, I think I deserve to skip a class or two after lunch. Now anyways, you want me to-"

"Gary, I said no!" Iris said.

The brunette frowned, before shrugging and replacing his sun glasses "Alright then, I'll respect your decision, sweetheart." He revved up the red convertible, preparing to drive off to who knows where when he added. "But just to let you know, I'm feeling rather generous today and considering you have very few options, I'd take the offer while it still stands."

Iris's hands tighten around her pink bag. As much as Iris didn't want to admit it, Gary was right. She couldn't head back inside the academy, dressed like this and she couldn't go walking around the city and ride the train dressed like this either! 'But getting in a car with a flirtatious and annoying guy is the last thing Drayden would want me to do. But…' Iris sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll take your offer," Slowly she made her way over the other side of the car, eyed Gary as he opened the passenger door for her and beckoned her to climb in, and then sat down. The brunette opened his mouth to say something but Iris cut him off. "Hey, I have some conditions here. Stop calling me sweetheart, and eyes on the road, mister."

"Alright, whatever," Gary muttered. He then started the car and proceeded to drive off the academy grounds. "Where you headed, swee-I mean Iris?" There came no answer and when he stopped at a red light blue eyes glanced over at the girl, only to see her bag huddled to her middle and sadden brown eyes transfixed on a cheaply made charm bracelet that adorned her wrist. "Hey, I can't take you anywhere if you don't tell me where you're headed to."

Abruptly looking up and meting his gaze her expression molded into one that matched her brown eyes, sad. Darting her eyes away she answered his question. "Oh right... I-I…I need you to take me to the hospital."

"The hospital? What for- " Gary started and then quickly realized with a groan of distaste The light turned green and the drive continued with silence hanging in between the purple haired girl and the brunette boy. "Going to visit, Ashy boy, huh?" Gary finally stated.

"Like it's any of you business!" Iris snapped angrily.

"Damn, what's with the attitude?!" Gary responded, with just as much sass as Iris. "Don't forget who's driving here, sweetheart!"

"So what?! I can hop out right now, I don't mind walking and I'd take my chances with the people at the train station any day over you!" Iris shouted. "Hell, for all I know, you're just driving me to the hospital because you feel guilty for putting Ash in the hospital to begin with!"

"What?!" Gary exclaimed, slightly offended that Iris would think that about him. "How could say that, when I was the one who carried him all the way to the clinic, yesterday?"

Iris grounded her teeth together, resisting the urge to scream. She was frustrated. She was anxious about seeing her friend and even though she knew it was wrong she just felt like blaming all of this on someone. "Well, if you were there to carry Ash over to the clinic, you must have done something to get him all worked up for him pass out!"

"I didn't do anything! That kid didn't want to stop the battle!"

"B-Battle?"

"Yeah…we had a Pokemon battle, before he…well you know," Gary informed, his tone demising into a softer one.

Not willing to let Gary off the hook just yet Iris questioned. "You went too hard on him didn't you, Gary? That's what caused his heart attack, right?"

At this Gary smirked and gave a small chuckle. "Actually no. He put up quite a good fight, even managed to beat me."

"He…he won?" Iris inquired her tone half disbelief and half full of joy. Ash had won! He had his first real Pokemon battle and won! A smile graced her lips and her eyes returned to her special charm bracelet. Looks like the number one on his wish list was officially crossed off.

"What's with the smile?" Gary asked, giving a smug grin when Iris jumped and scowled at him for being caught.

"Hey, I said eyes on the road!" Iris snapped, hugging her bag close to her exposed middle and trying to ignore the blush, one that came from the happiness from her friend's victory, which warmed her face and stared out at the city buildings coming into view, indicating that she would soon be arriving to her destination. Worry, started to build in her chest at the thought of having to walking into the building to see her sick friend. No her crush. The one she loved. Images of that first visit to the hospital, a few months ago, flashed in her mind. The shock of hearing about his heart problem. The hurt of being kept in the dark. And the growing fear that Ash might not live much longer festered and stirred in her being. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts away and brushing her flying ponytail over her shoulder, Iris looked up at the teen driving. "Um…Gary…you wouldn't mind…I-I mean since I wasn't there…could you tell me w-what happened during the battle?" She could see his eyebrows raise slightly and sighed at how he peered over the top of his sunglasses and flashed a smug look. Before he could say thing she quickly added. "It's the only thing I can think of the pass the time, so don't get any ideas!"

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you what happened, if you really want to know," Gary paused and then winked at her. "Sweetheart."

Iris sighed; there was no use yelling at him. "Just tell me what happened."

For once the brunette did what he was told and started to retell what had happened during the battle between him and Ash.

* * *

_A determined look flashed in Ash's amber eyes as he took his position across from the brunette. Pikachu leaped proudly in front of him, giving a proud cry of his name._

_Gary pulled out a Poke ball from his belt and stared at it shortly as if contemplating his choice. After a moment he nodded and smirked "Alright, Umbreon. Show 'em what you got!" He called as he threw his pokeball up in the air. Familiar white and blue light came out as the ball opened._

_"Umbreon," the sleek black fox like Poekmon cried out, signifying that it was ready to battle._

_"Alright," Ash smirked, turning his cap backwards like he had seen people do so many times on TV. He couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement rush through his being but blinked and shook his head slightly at the wave of dizziness the excitement had brought with it, not wanting to let this get in his way, Ash brushed it off._

_"I'm asking you one last time." Gary called from across the field as he crossed his arms. "Are you sure, you want to battle me, Ketchum?"_

_"There's no way I'm bailing out, Oak!" Ash responded, knowing that he couldn't lose Iris to such a flirtatious and annoying dirt bag. He refused to let Gary know this and went on to say "Besides, if I want to become a Pokemon Master I learn to handle anything!" Ash ignored the skeptical look Gary flashed at him and turned his gaze to his Electric Mouse Pokemon. "I'll go first. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"_

_Wasting no time Pikachu sparked up his red cheeks and unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning at Umbreon._

_"Dodge it," Gary commanded, and on que Umbreon gracefully dodged the electric type attack with ease. Seeing his opportunity, a cocky smile formed on his lips. "Now, hit 'em with Headbutt!"_

_Umbreon broke into a run, charged energy and came at Pikachu with such speed there was no time for the yellow Pokemon to make an attempt to avoid it._

_"Pikachu!" The raven haired teen cried, watching as his companion went skidding into the dirt. "Are you okay?" Ash called worriedly, but let out a sigh of relief as Pikachu was quick to get up on his feet._

_"Dark pulse!" Gary commanded._

_"Quick dodge it and then, use Thunder!" Ash countered_

_Pikachu did as instructed, using speed to evade the dark type attack from Umbreon and then directing a strong stream of electricity down at Umbreon who got hit with its sheer force._

_"Bree!" Umbreon shrilled in pain as it was blasted with the thunder._

_"No!" Gary gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Umbreon, can you stand up?"_

_Umbreon shook his head from side to side as to shake off the pain. Slowly, the Pokemon rose up and held its head up proudly. "Umbreon!" It called out, letting everyone know it wasn't giving up that easily._

_"Let's land another hit with Shadow Claw!" Gary encouraged. Following through the dark Pokemon, although slightly weakened, Umbreon gathered a dark aura around its paw in a claw shape and struck Pikachu with the attack with little difficulty._

_"Pika!" The electric mouse cried as it went flying back and slammed hard into the dirt. _

_"Pikachu!"_

_But upon hearing his trainer's voice of concern, he quickly rolled back into his feet. Pikachu didn't want to lose. He had to show Ash that he was fit to help him become a Pokemon Master._

_"Aw-Awesome job…buddy," Ash said, but winced as he felt tightness in his chest and blink rapidly in clear his blurry eyesight. However, this didn't seem to work as the image of Pikachu kept shifting and twisting in an unpleasant way, causing his head to feel light and airy. Ash gritted his teeth, he refused to let these damn symptoms get the better of him! Taking a shaky breath, he called out his next move. "Now…u-use Volt Tackle!"_

_Pikachu nodded determinedly, cloaked himself in electricity and ran with the speed of a quick attack towards its opponent. Gary lips moved, but whatever he had said to Umbreon went unheard by Ash as his ears started to ring and a familiar pain flared up in his chest. Biting back a groan Ash couldn't help but reach up and clutch a hand against his sweater, over his heart, the pain was becoming increasingly more intense but Ash managed to look up to see how Pikachu was doing. Pikachu's attack collided with Umbreon in an explosion that flung both Pokemon their separate ways. Umbreon was sent crashing to the ground in front of Gary and Pikachu in front of Ash._

_Pikachu breathed heavily as it has taken quite some amount of recoil damage due to Volt Tackle. Umbreon gave a small huff as he struggled to get up, but still managed to do so slowly but surely. The two Pokemon glared challengingly at one another, all while breathing heavily. Ash and Gary both stared at the two, wondering who would collapse first._

_After a while, Pikachu began to sway a little, unable to stay up for long._

_Worried that he might lose, and in the process lose the girl that meant so much to him Ash shouted," Come on Pikachu! Just a little more, you gotta-" Ash gave a strangled cry as the pain burned in his chest and a weak gasp as the world took a sickening spin. All this caused him to sway weakly before he doubled over at the waist._

_"Pika pi!" Pikachu called worriedly, eyes widening in alarm at the sight of his trainer struggling to keep himself upright._

_"Hey, what's the hold up over there?" Gary called as he arched an eyebrow in concern._

_"N-N...Nothing," Ash wheezed, and tried to straighten up, but he regretted the movement as his stomach turned and a warm liquid crawled up his throat. For a brief moment, Ash thanked Aruces that he hadn't eaten before this, as he drive heaved a mouth full of bile and saliva exited his mouth in a sloppy mess. He heard Gary calling out to him, but couldn't make out the words, "I-I'm fine…I…let's just finish…t-the ba-battle." Wiping his mouth Ash struggled to stand upright._

_"You idiot! Can't you see that you're not fine? I'm calling this battle off!" Gary called from his position._

_"N-No!" Ash hollered, gritting his teeth against the ache in his chest and his spinning throbbing head as he managed to straighten up. "N-Not yet…w-we've gotta f-finish…!" But his words weren't very convincing as he a small fit of coughs suddenly raced through him each cough, seem to make the pain worse and Ash couldn't fight it any longer. Giving a small pained cry, Ash felt his knees buckle and before he knew it, was slumped on the ground, gasping madly for air._

_"Ash?!" Gary shouted, seeing that the Kanto native wasn't going to be able to finish this battle he had started. _

_However there was no need to call a tie. "Um…umbreon," the dark type Pokemon whimpered one last time before falling down on the ground. Small swirls replaced its eyes, meaning it was done._

_Normally Gary would hate it when someone beat him in a battle, but strangely enough this time he couldn't help but feel relieved that the battle was over. Quickly zapping Umbreon back into his Pokeball, he dashed across the field and kneeled beside the teen with raven hair. "Ash? Ash! Can you stand up?"_

_Ash groaned in response and his face distorting with pain as he continue to gasp and wheeze in a painfully sounding way._

_Pikachu soon forgot about his own fatigue as he leaped over to his beloved trainer. "Pika chu Pika!" It exclaimed, nuzzling his cheek against Ash's._

_Lifting his head to look at his Pokemon, Ash forced a weary smile while reaching out his free hand and scratching Pikachu behind his ears. "….W-We-egh- won, bu-buddy. We won…o-our first b-battle! Isn't it ugh- g-great?" That was all Ash was able to utter before his eyes rolled back and he slumped over, unconsciousness taking him._

_"Pika pikachu!" The electric mouse called out in distress. He couldn't care less about the victory now. Ash needed help!_

_Seeing that this was a serious matter Gary wasted no time and pulled Ash's limp body up onto his back. After getting a good grip and maintaining his balanced he beckoned for Pikachu to follow. "This way, Pikachu. Hurry! We got no time to lose."_

* * *

Iris stayed silent, long after Gary had finished telling her about the battle Ash and him. 'Even though he was in pain, he refused to stop.' Iris thought, her eyes narrowing in concern and bewilderment. 'But why would that little kid do such a thing? Ash knows his limits. He knows he shouldn't push himself so hard!'

Why didn't he stop?

"Why didn't Ash stop the battle?" Iris blinked, realizing that what was supposed to stay a thought came out her mouth and had interrupted Gary who was going on and on about something she wasn't paying any attention to. But either way the brunette only laughed and answered, "Tch, the only reason that idiot battled so hard was because he knew that I wasn't going to go easy on him when he challenged me. Not only that he was stupid enough to wager his entire frie-" Gary suddenly stop mid-sentence as if he realized something and closed his mouth.

"Wait…Ash was the one who insisted on battling?" Iris asked. "But Ash knows better than to do something that could make his heart rate go sky high!" Even when they were back in Pallet Town, no matter how obvious it was that he wanted participate in a Pokemon battle, he would always turn battle offers down, despite not knowing at the time Ash was declining because he feared that his heart might act up and end with another trip to the hospital. "And what wager are you talking about? Is there something you're not telling me Oak?"

"We're here." Gary informed, ignoring her questions as he pulled into the parking lot off the city's hospital. Stopping the car within walking distance of the entrance he unlocked the door. "You can get out now."

"B-But you didn't answer-"

"Come on, sweetheart, I gotta get back to the academy if I'm going to attend my afternoon classes." Gary stated as if he questions were never spoken.

Iris frowned. Looks like she wasn't going to get any information about this wager or why Ash had insisted on battling out of this stubborn little kid. "Fine," the girl opened the door and stepped out the vehicle. Just as she closed the door Gary revved to engine to drive off but Iris turned and only felt it was necessary to say, "Thanks, for driving me here, Gary,"

Adopting that annoying smirk and adjusted his glasses the brunette answered, "No problem, sweet thing," Iris rolled her eyes at his choice of words to address her but didn't have time to retaliate when Gary abruptly added. "Oh and tell Ashy boy best wishes...heh, he's gonna need it," Gary, then blew Iris a kiss and speed off in his bright red car.

"He…gonna need it?" Iris repeated in confusion as she watched the red car drive out of sight. Turning to head into the hospital she wondered aloud. "What in Arcues name could he have meant by that?

* * *

**x**


	12. Confessions of the heart

Cold.

It was the first thing Iris registered when she stepped into the hospital. The purple haired girl hated being cold and cursed herself for not putting a jacket in her pink bag. All she could to keep even the slightest bit warm was huddle her bag close to her body, but it didn't seem to work well, considering her legs were pretty much completely exposed in the far too short white shorts she had forgotten to change out of. And as Iris stood in line for the front desk, brown eyes kept darting around only to see other pairs of eyes staring at her, and the outfit that did so little to help keep her warm. Iris tried to make it appear that the staring eyes weren't an issue by rummaging through her bag that was littered with little knick knacks, scraps of paper and an umbrella and looking at her phone, despite it being dead. However, this didn't stop the blush from burning her face whenever she felt a pair of eyes trained on her.

'I wish dad was here.' Iris thought as she eyed a teenage boy from across the room who had been staring at her and her revealing attire with this perverted look on his face. 'Sure I'd get my ears talked off with a lecture he'd give me about being more careful in what I wear, but at least he'd give me his jacket or something to keep me warm and make sure no one these weirdoes even come close to me-'

"Can I help you?" Looking up, Iris noticed that the line had advanced and that she was next. Quickly moving through the empty space she tried her best to smile at the woman behind the counter who wore a rather sour expression. "Who are you here to see?"

"Oh, um I-I'm here to see Ash...I mean Ashton Ketchum." Iris said slowly. She had never used Ash's full name before and it felt weird saying it aloud for the first time.

"Ketchum…" The lady murmured as she made a few clicks and keyboard types on her computer.

As Iris waited for the woman, she couldn't keep that foreboding feeling from creeping up into her heart. During this trip to come and see him the thought of Ash's current state never crossed her mind. Iris didn't want to see her friend in such a weak and ill state. Surrounded by wires and beeping machines. The very thought made a chill rush through her being. 'No! I have to stay strong!' Iris thought with determination, 'If I was in the hospital, Ash wouldn't even hesitate to come and visit me.' She tightened her grip on her shoulder bag, and blinked at the sound of a soft jingle sound. Dark brown eyes looked down and Iris smiled at the charm bracelet on her arm. 'Besides being by each other's side is why we're so close.'

"Ah, here he is Ashton Satoshi Ketchum," The woman stated, regaining Iris attention. The woman opened her mouth and then hesitated as she turned her attention from the screen to the girl standing in front of her. "Friend or family?"

"...W-What?" Iris inquired. Wasn't this receptionist suppose to give her Ash's room number?

"Are you a friend or family member of Ashton Ketchum?" The lady asked, her tone sounding impatient and dull, implying that she was tried for having to say this all day long.

"Oh, uh no I'm not part of Ash's family or anything-" Iris started to say.

"Well I'm sorry to say that you can't see him." The lady informed dryliy.

"What?!" Iris exclaimed.

The lady gave a grunt of annoyance. "What are you deaf? I said you can't see Ashton." She ignored Iris's dumbfounded expression and beckoned for the next person in line, "Next please."

"N-No, wait!" Iris stammered. "I have to see Ash!"

"I'm sorry, but Ashton is in the ICU at the moment and only family members are allowed in. Next in line please!"

"Bu-But, you don't understand! Ash needs me in there!" Iris protested, trying to keep the sudden rush of panic from showing in her voice. However, the memories from the day before flooded back, causing her throat to tighten. Lowering her gaze she mumbled out, "Besides, Ash…he means so much to me…" blinking to force the pricking feeling of tears away Iris looked back up and flashed the most determined look she could give to the grumpy receptionist. "And I know for a fact that if I was in his place he'd be right here asking to see me!"

The receptionist sighed and rubbed her temples, "Look, young lady, I know you're worried, but due to his condition Ashton needs lots of rest and medication, not his noisy girlfriend that's going to talk his ear off, so if you'd please-"

"Wait? G-Girlfriend?" Iris sputtered, the word was foreign to her lips and she nearly jumped in surprise when she heard it come from her own mouth. "Ash…I-I mean I'm-" the purple haired girl then paused, not only because her face was ablaze with blush and she squirmed as the other people in line giggled and awed at how she was "such a good girlfriend" but also because this could be her only chance. Besides a girlfriend was close enough to being part of the family right? Swallowing hard and taking a breath Iris resumed her sentence with a bit of pride lingering in her tone. "Y-Yes, I am his girlfriend!" the statement was a flat out lie, but as she said it aloud a bloom of warmth filled her being and a small smile grazed her lips. Going off of this feeling Iris went on to say, "Ash is also one of the few people that I've learn to trust completely and that's why I love Ash with all my heart!" She slammed her hands down on the countertop so the receptionist could see how sincere this confession was, but as she did this that charm bracelet jingled as it met the countertop. Brown eyes darted down to it and the wrist that the bracelet adorned was quickly pressed against the girl's chest. "So please…"

Much to Iris's dismay the receptionist's expression looked more irked than compassionate. "That's rather nice of you to come all this way to see your boyfriend, but I still can't let you see him. Besides I think he'd be happier if you didn't come dressed as you are," She gave a humorous smirk as she indicated to Iris's attire, "He's being hospitalized after all and I don't think he'd be in the mood for anything romantic,"

"What? O-Oh no I-I'd w-wouldn't, I-I mean I-I didn't mean to come dressed like this! I-I just f-forgot to change-I-I'm not like that!" Heat flooded Iris's face at such an intensity that she was forced to look at her feet. The very thought of doing anything remotely close to romantic with Ash…Arceus it as modifying! Anger boiled inside her, at the people's murmurs, giggles and other inappropriate sounds, "Just let me see my Ash!" Brown eyes widened, she didn't mean to yell. Placing her hand over her mouth she felt tears starting to form. She didn't know why. Maybe she was so frustrated, so embarrassed, so annoyed, so worried, so scared…Iris couldn't think of an answer as she felt a sob bubble up from her throat and a stream of tears started from her eyes.

'No. Stop. No tears...stop crying...' Her thoughts came in jumbled and incomplete fragments and did little to stop the flow of water. Pressing a closed fist over her mouth Iris did her best to compose herself but with little avail. She could hear the people behind her grumble and give annoyed sighed, very few making any attempt to show any form of sympathy to the crying girl. Iris didn't really expect sympathy anyway, these people had loved ones to see and all she was doing was holding up the line. So keeping her head lowered and blinking dark chocolate eyes rapidly Iris mumbled out in an almost inaudible voice. "I'm... I'm sorry for uh wa-wasting your t-time, I mean...I-I just..." With her voice dying on her lips, Iris swallowed down another sob that threatened to break free from her chest and pushed away from the counter.

Iris, without bothering to care about her attire or how unruly the tears made her look, she allowed her feet to rush her out of the medical building. The afternoon air, now cooler due to the mass of clouds that had suddenly covered the sky and hidden the sun from sight, whipped at her tear stained face, threw her purple ponytail around in a frenzy and increase the tremors that reverberated through her body. Not having an idea what to do next the girl sunk down onto the curb and pulled her knees close to her fluttering chest as she sobbed to herself. 'What am I even crying for? Why am I acting like such a little kid?' Iris scolded herself, wincing as her eyes burned as she continually swiped at the seemingly never ending tears. 'I can't acting like this...I have to be strong for Ash. But I can't even do that...I'm not even allowed to see him!'

Seated where she was, Iris tried her hardest not to break down completely, the last thing she wanted was to draw unwanted attention. However, no matter how she muffled her shaky breathes and sobs and tried to make herself appear small someone noticed the crying teen.

"Oh my, are you alright sweetheart?" A voice, slight high pitched and feminine and brimming with worry, asked as the sound of footsteps approached.

Refusing to raise her head from where she had buried them in her hitched up knees and not trusting her voice, Iris remained silent.

There was a sound, something that resembled a sigh of sympathy and a warm hearted chuckle, and was followed the presence of a warm body sitting beside the girl with purple hair. "I know this really isn't any of my business, but would you mind if I asked why you're so upset?"

Despite her warm welcoming tone Iris still didn't respond. She had no desire to talk to a random woman, especially when she had caught her in such a frazzled state.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk," the woman continued in an almost peppy tone. "I'd just hate to leave you here by yourself when you're so upset." Iris flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better, dear?"

In response Iris shrugged the hand off her shoulder, "Could you please leave me alone?" She mumbled in an irked tone.

There was a short pause but it was quickly filled with a soft sigh from the woman. "Well alright, I guess I'll just leave you be," Iris could hear the sound of things being picked up and the figure beside her getting to her feet. "But if you're planning to be by yourself I'd recommend heading back inside or something, it seems like it might rain soon."

At this, Iris lifted her head, taking a moment to wipe the last of whatever tears her eyes could produce along with her dripping nose and to look at the sky and frowned at the darkening color of the clouds above. "I guess it-"

However before Iris had the chance to finish a gasp, loud and slightly overdramatic, interrupted her. "Oh my is that you, I-Iris?!"

Dark chocolate eyes blinked. How could this stranger know her name? But her answer was answered when she turned only to see, "Mrs. Ketchum?" Iris whispered in shock. "Oh no, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to be so rude I just-"

"Oh it's so nice to see you!" The brunette woman exclaimed pulling Iris into a crushing hug.

"Y-you too," Iris managed as she struggled for air from the strong grip around her. She gasped when Delia finally released her, but when the woman just stared at her for a long moment Iris couldn't help but squirm. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all, it's just that I barely recognized you with that cute ponytail and uh...eye catching attire," The mother stated with a nervous laugh.

"I know, Drayden would have my head if he saw me wearing this." Iris said giving a weary smile as she tugged the hem the petal pink shirt closer to her exposed navel. "This is just part of my nursing uniform and I usually wear an apron to cover up but I was rushing to...I-I mean I have… "

Iris's words were caught up in the cold gust of wind that blew by and only left silence and a sadden expression behind. Seeing that the teen before her was struggling from falling apart the brunette woman gave a small smile, "You came to see Ash didn't you?" Her only response was a small nod as Iris wiped her red eyes. "I expected no less of you, dear. Now come on, I'll tell the receptionist that you can see Ash,"

Iris blinked as her face glowed with a smile. "R-Really?"

"They'll have no choice," Mrs. Ketchum said with a determined look, as she beckoning her son's friend back inside the hospital. "I am Ash's mother after all."

With the feeling of relief washing over her Iris followed Delia and after a short conversation with the lady at the desk Iris was more than happy to continue following to Ash's room. As they made their way through the cold winding hospital halls Mrs. Ketchum filled the time by chatting about how hectic the past twenty four hours were for her.

As Delia spoke Iris couldn't help but frown, as the mother described the phone call she had received from the academy yesterday morning and the terrorizing fear that gripped her heart. "After they had told me everything and had hung up…I-I just ended up standing there for a while, hoping that what had just happened was all some sort of a bad dream that I'd soon wake up from," Amber eyes, the same ones that matched Ash's, gleamed with wavering fear and sadness. "In fact I was so dazed by the thought of Ash being hospitalized again, that all the emotions didn't come crashing down until I pulled into the hospital parking lot late last night," Delia gave an airy laugh as she reached up to brush a few stray locks of her messy brown hair from her face allowing Iris to see the slight redness that tinted her eyes."I don't know how long I sat in my car but…sometimes I just need a good cry to pull myself together, before talking to the doctors and all."

All Iris could do was nod and turn her gaze down to her walking feet. She wanted to ask about Ash's what had specifically happened to her friend, but she felt it wouldn't be right, knowing that the mother was probably more worried and emotionally strained than she was. Ash was Delia son after all, he was everything in the world to her.

"Ugh, oh no," Delia muttered with a frown. Looking up Iris saw that the woman had stopped walking and was now preoccupied with a small red duffle bag she wore.

"Is something the matter?" Iris questioned but didn't receive an answer and watched as papers spilled out of the bag. Not wasting any time the purple haired teen quickly reached down and gathered them up, only to blink at how official they looked and the seemingly endless words that were printed on them. "What's all this?"

"Oh, just medical papers for Ash," Mrs. Ketchum answered, taking them from the girl and replacing them in a manilla folder, that was already filled with documents and had to be held together with a large clip. Indicating to the worn red bag she went on to say with a sheepish smile, "I always keep these important papers in this bag, along with a change of clothes, maybe some food and anything Ash might want me to bring when these hospital visit extend over a few days…or weeks."

"Oh," Iris whispered, brown eyes watching as the brunette to flip through the papers. She remembered seeing that bag whenever she had came over Ash's house from time to time when they were younger. It was always by the door and at first the girl would try to find a better place for it but was always scolded whenever she moved it. When inquiring why Mrs. Ketchum would never give a clear answer but Ash would always said it was his emergency bag. At that young age the Iris hadn't felt the need to question further, despite being confused, but now it all made sense.

There was a long sigh as Mrs. Ketchum closed up the folder and replaced it in the bag. She stood there staring at the parcel as if it would relieve her unrest but instead it only lead to her giving a groan of what Iris could only image would be exasperation and annoyance. "Shit. I can't believe I left those darn papers in the car!"

Iris blinked, she had never heard Delia curse before but said nothing about it as the woman brushed her hair from her face as she straightened up and sighed once more.

"Um, do you want to use my hair tie?" Iris offered, seeing that the brown hair adorning the woman's head wouldn't stop falling in her face. Reaching up to remove it from her ponytail she gave a smile at the weary looking mother, "You seem to need it more than I do,"

Delia's expression softened as she watched her son's friend hold out the pink hair accessory that had held up the purple tresses that now cascaded down her back, "Thank you, Iris," Delia said, taking it and proceeding to throw her brown locks up into a messy bun, smiling at how even the girl's kind gesture, no matter the simplicity, could keep her from wanting to scream in frustration.

"You said you left something in your car?" Iris asked, running her fingers through her free hair.

"Just a specific stack of medical papers that the doctor wanted. I can't believe I forgot to grab them since it was the whole reason why had went to my car to begin with," Mrs. Ketchum said with an airy laugh.

"If you want I could go get them," Iris offered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." The brunette said as she pulled out her car keys and then reached up and pulled the worn strap of the duffel bag from her shoulder and held it out to the teen with purple hair. "You can go on ahead to Ash's room it is the whole reason you came all the way to the hospital for, am I right? I would hate to have you waste more of your time waiting." Iris took the red bag and tried to say that she had the rest of the day off and there was no rush but Delia cut in again. "His room is two doors down from here," the mother turned to leave but then stopped again to add, in a hushed voice, "Oh, the nurse ask that you be quiet while you're in there. They finally got Ash to fall asleep an hour or two ago. He had been fighting a high fever all last night and…" her voice trailed off as a disheartened look flickered through her brown eyes.

"Oh, I won't make a sound, promise," Iris reassured with a forced smile. The smile must have been convincing considering the woman returned it with a nod and continued the other direction. However, those words previously spoken left the girl shaken inside, "I hope he's alright," she murmured as she let her feet lead her to Ash's room.

It was a short walk and left Iris little time to suppress those accursed nerves that had chosen to reappear now that she stood in front of the door.

Taking a breath and reaching out a trembling hand she gripped the cool handle and proceeded to open the door and slip inside the room. What greeted Iris inside was darkness that enveloped the room, the beeping and humming of machinery and that pungent medical smell that had been apparent throughout the entire building but even more so in the enclosed room.

As dark brown eyes adjusted to the dim lighting Iris surveyed the hospital room. To her left was a window that overlooked the street below and displayed the cloud filled sky above. By the window there was a couch, one that was only large enough to seat two or three people, with a disheveled blanket, a jacket and a purse sitting on it, leaving Iris to assume that was where Mrs. Ketchum had spent the rest of last night snoozing on, if she was able to find sleep that is. Going over and setting the red duffle bag down and then her own pink one, Iris adverted her eyes over to the bed in the room. It was a few paces away from the couch and had a chair by it, however it seemed to have been moved aside due to the curtain that had been closed around the bed.

They had such curtains in the clinic back at school and Nurse Joy had told her they were a silent message to not disturb the patient, but with the beeping of the machinery that flanked each side of the bed and the yearning to see her friend's face once more, Iris ignored the silent message and cautiously made her way forwards. With each step the teen with purple hair could feel her heart flutter as her brain flashed through all the images and worse case scenarios that haunted her dreams, but as Iris reached out and pulled the curtain back just enough for her to poke her head through her thoughts went silent.

"Ash," Iris's voice came out as a whispering exhale as brown eyes surveyed her childhood friend.

Never had she seen someone look so pallid. So small. So helpless. So weak. His cheeks were so flushed it almost seemed unnatural and even more so as it stood out against his complexion that so pale that it rivaled the white bed sheets he rested on. Raven hair looked more tousled than normal and his bangs were damp and clung to his forehead, evidence that the fever Mrs. Ketchum had mentioned was still torturing him. But with the oxygen mask on his face and the strained uneven breathing that inflated and deflated his chest along with beeping machinery and the wires that protrude from his open shirt and attached to his bare chest, it seemed that his fever was the least of his problems.

"Oh, Ash," Iris barely noticed her brown eyes filling with a new wave of salty tears until few slipped free and splashed onto her friend's flushed cheeks.

Gasping at how Ash's face twitched and a small sound that was emitted from him Iris remembered how she wasn't suppose to wake him and reached out to wipe it. However when her fingertips grazed his cheek she flinched at the warmth and made haste to wipe the tears but as she pulled away her fingers snagged a wire all of a sudden the machinery to her left wailed loudly in a high pitch.

Startled beyond compare the teen dropped the wire in order to cover her mouth to suppress a scream. Brown eyes darted around frantically for a way to silence the noise but Iris found herself frozen with fright when movement and groans came from her raven haired friend.

"...H-Help…" Iris said, not even hearing her own words due to how her hands covered her trembling lips. When Ash's movements became slightly more violent she torn her eyes from the sight as she screamed. "Someone help!"

Just as the words passed her lips light from above nearly blinded Iris and she gave a gasp when she felt someone pull her aside. "Oh, not now. We just got him stabilized a few hours ago," A male nurse muttered as he rushed into the room and was proceeded with pushing back the curtain and quickly scanning the wailing machine. Iris could only watch in silence, as the nurse then turned to Ash then check the machine one more before heaving a sigh of relief, "It's alright, there's no need to be scared," he said to no one in particular as he reach down to get the wire and replace it on a spot on Ash's chest which in turn ceased the piercing screech of the machine. "You just pulled on a wire nothing too serious." This time the male nurse seem to be addressing his statement to the trembling purple haired teen. He then gave a small chuckle and added. "I think you better sit down little lady, last thing we want is you falling over."

It was then that Iris had noticed her shaking form. "Oh...um...I-I…I'm sorry for pulling on the wire. I didn't mean to..." She murmured softly before going silent and forcing her legs to take the few steps towards the nearby chair and sink down on to it.

At this the male nurse waved her statement off. "There's no need to be sorry," he straightened up from where he had been bent over the machine, allowing Iris to take note of his navy bluish hair and matching eyes that worked nicely with powder blue scrubs he wore. Looking at his name tag she found that his name was Sam. "I was coming to check on him anyways," Sam proceed with turning back to the bed and Iris watched as he looked over the beeping machines and then over Ash's still form. As he did so Sam continue to talk to Iris. "When I heard that machine going crazy, I could only think the worst. Ashton gave us such a hard time last night, with the unstable heart rate and lack of blood flow," He paused as he pushed back Ash's bangs and frowned when he felt his forehead and then underneath his neck. "Seems like we might have to put him back on ice, his fever's gone up."

"Will he be alright?" Iris blurted out, but then wished she could retract her words. Of course he wouldn't be alright. A fever meant excess heat and excess heat meant the body was work to cool itself down. And extra work meant more blood and more blood meant more strain on Ash's weak heart. The whole thought process made Iris's throat tighten. "Please...tell m-me Ash w-will be okay."

Sam portrayed a sympathetic look. "Well, due to the mild heart attack he had, I can't really say," He then smiled a bit and added. "But he's a real trouper, and did rather well when we first got him here. He even came to for a while and started going on about a battle and a girl that-" Sam suddenly stopped and snapped his fingers as if he realized something. "You don't happen to be that girl, right?" He asked pointing at the one sitting in the chair.

"W-What? Oh I guess...yeah." A smile graced the girl's lips knowing that her friend thought of her, even when he was in the hospital.

The blue haired man then gave a more somber look before saying in an apologetic tone, "I didn't mean to be so insensitive by going on and on about all that scary medical stuff. It must be hard enough to have to see your boyfriend like this."

The purple haired teen felt her form go rigid. Ash and her, they weren't a couple. She wasn't his girlfriend and Ash wasn't her boyfriend. However Iris didn't say anything to bring this fact to light. Instead big brown eyes continued to gaze at the raven haired teen in the bed as that nice warmth consumed her body. It was a feeling that she wished would stay but the warmth was sapped from her being when a string of words were blurted.

"Iris! You never told me you Ash were dating!" Iris felt blood rush to her cheeks at the sound of Mrs. Ketchum's voice, but before she had any time to react she was nearly crushed in the woman's tight grip. "Why didn't Ash tell me had a special someone?"

As the purple haired teen struggled with the brunette's strong grip she felt her embarrassment quickly turn to panic! "W-Wait, no…w-well y-you see-"

"Whoops, I didn't know you two were a new couple," Sam said with a chuckle, "If I had known I would have kept my mouth shut!"

"B-But y-you don't understand!" Iris declared.

"The only thing I don't understand is why Ash hadn't said anything!" the boy's mother released her grip from around the girl and replaced her hands on Iris's face. "After all these years, I'd think Ash tell me that these types of relationships, especially if it's between him and his best friend! Oh, I'd just knew the relationship between you two was growing more towards romantic, it was just so obvious!"

Brown eyes turned back to sleeping teen on the bed. Were her feelings for her childhood friend really that obvious?! And if they were, who else had picked up on it or point it out? And more importantly has Ash even noticed her feeling towards him?

"Oh, I can't wait to tell Drayden!" Delia chirped. Leaving Iris be she rushed to where her purse sat on the couch and started to rummage through it for her phone. "Just think, you two might even get married some day!"

"What?!" Iris jumped up so fast that the chair fell to the floor with a clatter. With her face ablaze with blush Iris knew she had to end this now before this overly excited woman did irreversible damage to her Ash's relationship. "Mrs. Ketchum…y-you think…I-I mean…why w-would y-you-"

"Iris?" The heat that burned her face suddenly was whisked away by the feeling of relief at the sound of that voice.

The girl turned around and had to blink to make sure that this wasn't a dream. But once brown eyes met bright amber ones she knew it wasn't. "As-Ash!" A smile overtook her face as she rushed to his bed side and opened her arms to hug him, but she paused. Even though he was awake, Ash still seemed to weak and fragile and she feared her embrace would cause unnecessary pain to his chest, so she retracted her arms.

"It's nice to see you awake," Sam said with a smile as he started to write something onto a clipboard.

"How do you feeling, sweetheart?" Delia questioned her tone soft but concerned as she came over and gently pushed his bangs away from his face.

Ash didn't answer for a moment and settled for just staring up at his mother. It was then that he turned his head and trained them on his purple haired friend. "Iris…" he said her name with slight slur, one Iris hoped was just from sleep, before he continued slowly, "what…what are you d-doing here?"

Brown eyes darted away from amber as Iris felt her face warm once more. "I came to visit you, silly little kid."

A sound of amusement came from Ash along with a small smile, "That's…nice." He then blinked and squinted before going on to say, "Why…do you look like that?"

For what felt like the hundredth time that day Iris glanced down at her outfit and quickly yelped before covering her exposed middle as her face redden. "I-I d-didn't mean to come like t-this I just-" Her words were cut short when she felt a clammy hand brush against her face and then touch her free flowing hair.

"Your hair…" Ash slurred as he slowly ran his fingers through the long purple tresses. "It's so pretty…and feels so soft…" His weary smile widened as he stared up at Iris in a way that caused even more blush to burn her cheeks.

He extended a hand and Iris moved forward allowing him to hold a lock of her purple tresses

At his action the mother giggled. "Yes, Iris's hair is gorgeous," Delia said, "But don't tell me looks were the only reason you wanted her to be your girlfriend."

"Delia!" Iris exclaimed, burying her fiery red face in her hands. In the darkness she waited for Ash to start asking questions but instead she heard laughter, almost drunk sounding.

"M-Mom…what are you t-talking about?"

"You and Iris! She's your girlfriend right?"

"Oh…" Peeking between her fingers Iris saw amber eyes looking at her. Ash's face suddenly bore his goofy grin as he said, without hesitation, "Yeah."

"W-What?!"

"Iris…is my girlfriend…" Ash said.

"I-I am?!"

"Yeah…didn't you know that?" Ash questioned in a tone that would imply that this would be common knowledge. "I-I mean…you're my f-friend and you're a girl…so you're my girl friend." At these words Iris as she felt her beating heart sink within her chest. "N-Not only that..I-I love you, Iris. I-I love you more than y-you know I do…" Ash suddenly rested his hand on hers. "D-Do you love me too, Iris?"

Iris just stared at him with wide eyes, as her heart hammered wildly within her chest. This could be her moment to tell Ash everything, to pour out all her feelings to him. However, as soon as she looked up and dark brown eyes met amber Iris felt her mouth snap shut. These words Ash were saying…they weren't even real. He didn't mean them no matter how much she wanted them to be true. Her evidence? Ash's eyes. They lacked their marvelous bright amber glow and now held a dazed and glassy appearance and it was all due to the medicine or maybe even the fever. Ash's slurred speech and half awake appearance only added onto this is was just his muddled brain allowing words to flow from his mouth.

"Do you?" He asked again, his voice slightly strained and hoarse sounding.

Iris turned her face downcast, allowing purple free locks to fall and obscure her face. She couldn't answer. Not here. Not in front of Mrs. Ketchum and the male nurse known as Sam. Not when she knew that Ash would just go on and forget them due to his weakened state.

"I..Ir-Iris?" She heard him repeat along with the sound of movement and a groan of pain.

"Ash, honey, don't even think about sitting up!" Delia exclaimed, her tone panicked and uneven.

"But I-I...want h-her t-to answer." She could hear strained and ragged breaths now and footsteps approach.

"There's no reason to get so worked up, Ashton," Sam insisted, hoping to calm the raven haired patient down.

"B-But-"

"Of course she loves you, Ash," Mrs. Ketchum said softly. "She' one of you best friends."

'Friends. Yeah, that's what we were.' Iris thought wearily as she moved her form from standing awkwardly beside the bed to the couch by the window, and watched the sky's tears started to fall to the earth in an heavy downpour. 'And as for as I know that's all Ash and I would ever be. Friends.'

Coughs suddenly erupted into the room. Harsh, loud coughs that were followed by wheezing gasps of pain and strains whimpers for relief. The horrible sound is what caused Iris to pull her attention from the window and look towards the hospital bed, only to se Ash folding in on himself, his shaking hands clutching the blankets to his chest as his pale flushed face contorted in pain. Sam wasted no time in trying to get Ash out of his cramped position, saying curling up would only make the pain in his chest worsen, and the brunette mother busied herself with trying to sooth the boy's agony with her hand circling his back and soothing words. Leaving Iris to just sit there to view it all. Dark chocolate eyes watched until the ordeal had been settled, with Ash's coughs and groan dwindling down to uneven breaths and whimpers and tear stained cheeks from the pain.

Mrs. Ketchum seating in the chair, holding her son's hand and only letting go to readjust the ice pack that had been placed beneath Ash's head to help with the fever that had flared up again. Her worried amber eyes watching as Ash periodically entered restless sleeps that consisted of thrashing movements, only to awaken and enter a dazed state. The blue haired nurse came in and out, only to check and few things, write a few things down and softly exchange a few words with the mother. And the purple haired girl sat. That's all she did. She was silent and tarried on the couch, watching her friend and his mother, listening to the rain hitting the window and the wind and consumed in her own mind for who knows how long.

"You want to try to eat something, Ash?" Delia asked, only to get a mumble of words and a sickened expression from the boy in the bed. Giving a weary smile she gently pushed his bangs from his sweaty forehead before responding. "I know you're not hungry, but you have to eat…you refused to eat lunch and barely held anything down at breakfast…" her sentence lingered as she waited for Ash to answer.

It took a moment and Iris Listened to Ash groan and attempt to stifle a yawn, a sign that he had awoken from another non peaceful sleep, before slowly saying, "I…I guess I mean…I'll try to eat something," he gave a small smile, "but if I end up throwing up on you…don't get mad."

An airy laugh emitted from the mother, "Oh, alright. Now is there anything you want in particular?" Ash shook his head and the mother nodded and stood from her chair. But as she turned for the door she jumped at the sight of the girl on the couch. "Oh, Iris, dear I um…" it was obvious that the brunette had forgotten that she was still here in the room, "I'm going to ask the nurses to have dinner prepared for Ash…do you want anything?"

At the mention of food Iris remembered that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. However, she had no desire to consume anything. "Um…no, besides I-I was just thinking about heading back to the academy and all so…"

"Oh...are you sure? It's still raining," She indicated to the window that displayed the darkened sky and perception.

Blinking at this fact, Iris could only giving a tired smile. "Oh...guess you're right…"

"But I understand. You've been here all day and you need to get back so you can help Nurse Joy in the morning," Delia reasoned.

Iris glanced at the clock, had she really spent her entire day at the hospital? The clock read 6:45 which answered her unspoken question with a yes.

"Could you drive her back, Mom?" Ash said. Iris glanced at him, his amber eyes displaying something of worry and mirrored her own darker colored eyes.

Seeing this the mother gave a warm smile at how her son cared from the teen with purple hair, but at the same time she hesitated as she went on to say, "I'd love to it's just..are you sure you want to stay here by yourself, Ash? I mean you always get so up-"

"I'll be fine, really." the one in the bed quickly said, darting his eyes to the blankets as if they suddenly had become interesting. "And it'll make me feel better knowing that Iris gets back to the academy safe."

There was a pause, with nothing but the beeping machines and the tapping of Mrs. Ketchum's nails drumming against the doorframe, until the mother sighed. "Well, if it'll make you happy, but I promise it won't take long and I'll be back as soon-"

"Mom, it's okay…" the teen with raven hair interrupted, amber eyes darting up to look at the brunette in almost an unhappy way.

"I'm sure he just wants dinner now," Iris blurted out, feeling the sudden tension between mother and son. "Isn't that right, Ash?" He lifted his head, gave a thankful look, and nodded.

"Well, okay then. I'll tell the nurses you want to eat something." Delia said, her tone lacking its usual peppiness as she exited the room.

Leaving the two childhood friends alone.

It had been almost three days since they had been together without anyone around and it felt...odd. Being with her raven haired friend had never felt like this. Was it because she couldn't deny her attraction to him? Could it be because of the fact that she could lose him to a heart disease? Maybe it was because they were in a hospital? Not caring about the answer and just wanting the unsettling feeling to go away Iris lifted her head and smiled. As forced as it was, it gained Ash's attention and he smiled back.

"Sorry about her fussing," He said in a tone that sounded more awake and alert. "Even though I hate to admit it, I was a real baby when I first had to stay in the hospital. It's mortifying now that I think about how much I would cry, telling my mom how I didn't want to stay by myself. It's super embarrassing but ever since then she feels bad when she has to leave my hospital room even when it's just to talk to the nurse or something. But...I guess it's just a mom thing."

"I actually think it's sweet how much she worries about you." Iris said with a laugh. Even though Mrs. Ketchum could be smothering at times it was still cute how she doted over her son and even Iris if need be. "But if she doesn't want to leave you alone, I really could have just walked," she reached into her pink shoulder bag and pulled out a small umbrella. "I wouldn't have gotten too wet."

Ash just shrugged. "I know you could walk back, but that'll be a long walk and anything could happen. You could slip and get hurt or maybe run into another creeper or something..." He gave a knowing smile.

"Oh, stop you little kid. You almost sound like my dad," Iris mumbled, a blush dusting her cheeks as she looked down at the floor again, smiling to how Ash had silently reminded her of that night she learned about his condition. "But, you're probably right." She agreed pushing her long hair from her face. "Besides rain, my terrible choice or attire all spell for something bad to happen to me, so thanks for caring about me so much." She then did something rather bold. "But I don't know I would expect otherwise. You did say you love me."

"W-What?! Wh-When did...I-I mean...I never…" Ash sputtered as he jerked his head up from where it lay on his pillow. Iris swore she saw an additional burst of red form on his feverish face.

"Y-You said I was your girlfriend," Iris added, her eyes not wavering from his as she searched for any form of evidence that he had remembered what he had said earlier today.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about..I-I never said that!" Ash stammered out, turning his head away, breaking eye contact. "I-I...I mean we're just friends...right?"

Iris just nodded to confirm and to confirm to herself that he didn't remembered a word of the conversation he had with her when he had awoken. It truly was just his sleep muddled mind producing words that had no meaning behind them. Forcing another smile, Iris went to cover her tracks. "There's no need to get all worked up, Ash. Besides you only said that in your sleep,"

Amber eyes blinked and a relieved looked washed over his one panicked face. "Oh...I-I was sleep talking. Hehe...guess it's a habit I can't break."

"I guess so," Iris confirmed, smiling the fakest smile she had ever smiled.

"Iris, are you ready to go?" Delia asked, walking into the room and picking up her purse and fishing through it for her car keys.

"Uh, yeah," She responded as she tightened her grip on her pink shoulder bag. As the woman beckoned her to follow Iris told her to go ahead, once Delia was gone Iris approached her friend in the bed. "It's nice to see that you're doing better."

Ash nodded."Yeah, I know and I didn't mean to scare you, but it was nice of you to come and see me,"

"Well, what did you expect?" Iris teased, before leaning forwards, a purple curtain of hair falling around the two as she gently pulled Ash into a light embrace. "We are friends after all."

And as far as Iris was concerned it was all they would ever be.


	13. True colors

A week and three days.

That's how long it had taken before the doctors thought Ash was well enough to be released from the hospital, only to turn around and order him to stay on bedrest. And even though the raven haired teen was grateful that he no longer was hospitalized he couldn't help but feel like the doctors had pulled a cruel joke on him for making him stay confined in a bed. Even if it seemed like defeat since he obviously couldn't attend his classes anymore, he was at least still able to keep up with his them by doing the assigned homework. Sure it was stressful and annoying, but he had no plans to put his life on hold anymore than necessary because of a disease.

"The doctors say it's only going to be until the fatigue goes away and his appetite fully returns," Ash could hear his mother's voice from outside of the clinic room that Nurse Joy had assigned him to stay in when he had arrived back onto the Poke Academy's campus earlier this morning. "Oh...and they're hoping his chest pains stop becoming so frequent or too intense…" There was a pause in his mother's words as she sighed heavily, Ash frowned, picturing his mothering running her hands through her brown hair in worry. "I...I just feel bad leaving Ash like this, but I don't want him to think that I'm being too overbearing or anything. I'm just so worried something bad will happen whenever I can't keep an eye on him."

"Mrs. Ketchum, there's no need to worry, everything alright," Nurse Joy said, soothingly. "Your son will will be in good hands here at the academy and before you know it he'll be up and at 'em in no time at all."

Ash listened as the two women shared a laugh, and even though the sound was rather happy he couldn't help but sigh. Even though his mother was planning on heading back to Kanto this afternoon Ash knew that she wouldn't stop worrying about him, even after he was feeling 100% better. And it saddened him that the one who cared for him his entire life had to be plagued with such a heavy and worrisome burden.

"Nurse Joy! Sorry I'm late!" Ash blinked at the sound of that voice. It belonged to Iris. "I overslept and-Oh, good morning Mrs. Ketchum, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing really, I just came to talk to Nurse Joy is all."

"That's right, so she and I will be in my office for a bit, Iris."

"Oh, alright. Is there anything you have assigned for me to do?"

"In a matter of fact yes. I've assigned you a patient to look after until further notice."

"A patient? I have to look after them all by myself?!"

"That's right, and even though it's a rather important task, I think you can handle it, besides you've been improving so much, my dear apperiantice!"

The rest of the conversation went unheard to Ash as realization suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. He was the only patient here! Which meant it was Iris who was going to be looking after him! This sudden knowledge was enough to motivate Ash to jump out of bed and look for an escape but before he could even move the door of his room creaked open.

"Ash?" The girl sounded surprised as dark chocolate eyes stared at him from where she stood in the doorway. "What are you...I mean I heard that you were released from the hospital I-I just didn't think-"

"You'd see me like this?" Ash guesses, in a tone that displayed just how unhappy he was at be bedridden. "I know it sucks."

"Oh, well I wouldn't say that, Ash. Besides with me as your nurse I'll make sure you're feeling better in no time!" She gave him a thumbs up and flashed her infectious smile, the one that caused his lips to twitch upwards no matter how how sad he was feeling.

And with that smile his purple haired friend got right to work with what Nurse Joy had taught her to do. She first questioned him about how he was feeling at the moment, and aside from the confession of having a slight headache, Ash casually answered everything Iris asked, despite feeling a tad awkward due to the professional tone of voice she was using, it sounded odd to his ear. But as his friend continued on talking, Ash found himself distracted by the look gleaming in Iris's dark brown eyes. It was the same gleam he had seen in the doctor and nurses eyes as they tended to him in the hospital. It was the gleam of concern and pity and it was the last thing he wanted to see when his childhood friend turned her lovely chocolate gaze to him.

The whole reason Ash had avoided telling Iris about his condition was to keep her from worrying about him. To keep that nagging question of 'what if' whenever the slightest thing happened to him. But after Iris had visited him in the hospital and saw how weak and helpless his crippling heart condition could reduce him to, there was no doubt in Ash's mind that Iris now bore the same heavy burden as his mother. And now there way to put things back to the way they used to-

"Hey, earth to Ash?" Iris's voice caused the one with raven hair to jump.

Blinking a bit Ash gave a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, Iris. What did you say?"

"I said lift up your shirt."

"...M-My...shirt?" Ash repeated, suddenly feeling confused and embarrassed at his friend's statement. "What for?"

"To listen to your heart, you little kid," Iris indicated to the thesacope dangling around her neck.

"Oh, okay…" Ash's voice trailed off as he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up so his chest was exposed.

"Now try to keep your breathing even so I can hear everything, okay?" Iris said as she stood in front of him and leaned close so she press the circular pad of the thesacope to his chest. It was then Ash noticed that Iris was closer to him than she had ever been. So close Ash could smell the lavender shampoo she used to wash her hair. So close he felt goosebumps prickle his skin. So close that he felt heat rush to his face and his breath to hitch in his throat. "Hmm...you're heartbeat sounds a bit fast, Ash." Straightening up Iris reached out and felt Ash's forehead, that look of concern in her eyes deepening. "What's the matter? Is something hurting?"

Annoyed by how Iris suddenly sounded like the doctors at the hospital, Ash jerked his head away from Iris's open palm."No, I'm fine." He quickly yanked down his shirt and stiffly laid back down on nursing bed.

"Really?" Iris asked, her tone obviously not convinced.

Hating the worried look on Iris's face Ash rolled over so his back was facing Iris."Yeah, really." Ash replied dryly. Amber eyes closed and Ash heard Iris heave a heavy sigh behind him along with the scratching of her pen as she started to scribble everything about her evaluation down. But as he listened to the girl's movements, Ash suddenly realized why his heartbeat had fluctuated. It was because of Iris.

And the way she made him feel.

Recently the feeling he felt around Iris wasn't the weird butterfly in the stomach feeling like it had been normally, no it was a yearning. An almost painful feeling of wanting to be around her when she wasn't near him and a desire to hold her close when she was near, like she had been just now. If Ash were to be honest with himself, this feeling was because he wanted to keep his childhood friend close to him for as long as he was alive and able to so, and the very thought of not seeing Iris because of some stupid heart problem caused a large lump to form in his throat and it was hard to fight against it as this sadness threatened to claw its way up and suffocate him. It was odd though, sure he had always liked Iris for who she was, but these feelings of desperation for her had just recently appeared ever since that dream he had in the hospital.

The one where he had awoken and saw Iris standing before him, with a relieved look on her smiling face, her long beautiful hair draping down her shoulders. And then there was mention of a girlfriend and then he recalled telling his childhood friend that he loved her. But once that was said things turned nightmarish with coughing and a crippling pain flaring up in his chest. After waking up he had bid Iris goodbye along with the knowledge that he had confessed his love to her in his sleep.

But the more Ash thought about that dream, the more unsure he was about it. The reason being that, "It felt so real."

"What felt so real?" The sound of Iris's voice made Ash aware that he had voiced his thought aloud.

Peering over his shoulder slightly, Ash saw Iris had finished writing on the clipboard and had her back turned to him as she was proceeding with getting his daily medication and a glass of water ready for him. "Uh...my dream." Ash responded, turning back to face the window.

"What dream?"

"The one...the one where I said I loved you Iris."

The sudden sound of something clattering to the floor caused Ash to jump before he quickly sat up only to see that the small cylindrical container that held his medicine was on the floor along with it's little white contents scattered all over the floor. Standing above the mess was Iris, her brown eyes staring at him as if he had said something wrong and hands still parted from where the bottle had fell, but before he could question the expression the girl quickly banished it from her face. "W-What...what are you talking about Ash? You never said anything like that!" Iris said hurriedly.

"But you said I was talking in my sleep." Ash reminded her.

"Well, yeah I know, but that's just because you gotta break that silly habit of yours!" Iris said with a strange laugh. that almost sounded forced."I have no idea what you were dreaming about, but when that came out of your mouth, it uh sure did surprise everyone!" Dark brown eyes darted about, as if looking for something to do, before they spied the mess on the floor. The purple haired teen gasped softly, as if noticing the mess for the first time, and then crouched down to proceed with gathering the small white pills. "You should have seen your mom, she was laughing so hard! What was worse is that she won't quit teasing me about it!" Iris glanced up at him to flash him a smile, which seemed out of place with the uncertainty glinting in her eyes.

"You weren't upset that I said that, right?" Ash asked, hoping to get something that resembled a truthful answer, besides it didn't take a much to see Iris was lying about something.

"What? Of course not, Ash!" Iris declared as she got up from her crouched position at a quick pace, the speed tossing her ponytail about. With the contaminated pills cupped in one hand Iris gave a dismissive wave of her free hand. "Besides you were asleep, and I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it." Before Ash could say anything against this comment the girl with purple haired whirled around, retrieved the glass of water she had poured and handed it to him before heading towards the door. "I'm going to get rid of these pills, can't give contaminated medicine to a patient after all." Iris gave another small laugh along with a plastic looking grin and quickly rushed out of the room.

With Iris gone, Ash could do nothing but sit and stare at the glass of water in his hands. He attempted to use this as a distraction, but the negative thoughts he was trying to keep at bay still bounced around in his head.

'What the heck is wrong with you?!' Ash scolded himself. 'Why would you bring up something as stupid as that dream? Now all you've done is make Iris uncomfortable. What's worse…' The raven haired teen couldn't really finish the thought but even so he couldn't deny what that encounter had just proved.

"He was right." The raven haired teen murmured, the words slipping between slightly clenched teeth.

Iris had become distant.

His heart disease was causing Iris to see him in a new light. One that portrayed him and weak and helpless. And because of this Iris seemed to be doing whatever she could to help with his illness. She had become more careful in what she said around him. More careful in what she did when around him. And wherever something happened, no matter how slight, she would jump into action, asking if he was alright and being ready to run and get help if need be. But ever since his trip to the hospital last week and having then Iris see him near death's door while visiting him, Ash could assume that his purple haired friend had realize that this was a problem she simply just couldn't fix. And with this knowledge, Iris was distancing herself from him, it was the only thing she could do to soften most of the blow if something were to happen to him.

'It's exactly what that jerk said would happen,' Ash thought, feeling his blood boil at the image of that annoying brunette's smirking face. 'Iris...she's so afraid of losing me.' Although Ash had to admit that Iris hadn't directly said anything about this Ash could see the fear and uttermost concern that dwelled in her big beautiful brown eyes whenever she looked at him. 'Whether Iris is keeping her distance from me or not I know she wouldn't dare say anything. She's far too kind to tell me anything that would hurt my feelings so harshly. We still are friends afterall. But still…my weak heart is drawing a wedge between the two of us...and I hate it!'

His fist tightened around the glass in his hands as the next thoughts tumbled through his head. 'I hate this damn heart of mine! Why wasn't I just born normal? It's not fair! I hate feeling so helpless all the time...I hate the way I'm always underestimated and doted on all the time! And Iris…' The image of the girl he loved so much appeared in his head, she was smiling and her beautiful eyes were twinkling. 'Even if I do confess my feelings for her, what difference would it make? I'll just end up hurting her in the end! Maybe...Maybe it would have been better if I just let Gary have her-NO! What am I thinking...I could never do that! I could tell Iris everything, how happy she makes me and how we could become my girlfriend and-' Ash's happy thoughts halted when suddenly the image of Iris's smiling face distorted itself and transformed into a different version of his friend. One where she was weeping and being strangled by her distraught emotions. 'No...no I couldn't.' Ash felt his stomach larch as that lump of sadness reformed in his throat started to choke him.

Squeezing his eyes close and focusing on taking a few deep breathes, Ash tried to swallow it down, but with no avail, the lump stayed and with it came this unbridled anger bubbling with in. 'I can't do anything! There's nothing I can do to fix this! No matter what happens, all I am is a bomb ready to go off and hurt everything and everyone I love around me!' This thought was one that was unfortunately true. Ash had heard the doctors talking to his mother before they had left the hospital about how that the small heart attack he had recently experienced was a notification that a bigger would likely happen.

"Why does have to be so unfair!"

"Ash, it'll be alright."

Amber brown eyes snapped open, only to be met with the sight of two dark chocolate brown ones. It was Iris, he hadn't even heard her come in, but here she was sitting on his bed with her small soft hands gently cupping his z cheeks with their faces only millimeters apart.

"I know this isn't fair...but I know everything will be alright." Iris whispered and offering a smile. Then adopting her professional nurse like tone she went on to say. "Now, I don't know what you've been thinking about, but you should stop. All those thoughts are getting you so worked up, you're shaking." Slowing releasing his face she reached down and placed her hands over his, surpresing the movement of his shaking hands and stop the water from splashing about in the cup he held.

Seeing how the cup was half empty and that the blanket of the bed was dotted with wet marks Ash felt his grip go slack on the cup. Had he really made himself that mad, just by thinking such negative thoughts? Forcing himself to gulp down air, he let Iris take that cup as she got off his bed, and placed his trembling hands against his face, only to feel that his cheeks were wet with tears. Not wanting Iris to see them, even though she probably already had, Ash quickly scrubbed them from his face all the while silently cursing himself for letting his emotions take control over him.

"Are you feeling better now?' Iris asked, approaching his bed one more, with a fresh cup of water in one hand and his medicine bottle in the other.

Keeping his eyes on his now still hands in his lap, Ash could only nod, he was far too embarrassed for being caught in such a little kid state to say anything.

He heard Iris place the glass of water and pill bottle on the night stand and take a seat on the edge of his bed. There was a pause before the girl with purple hair went on to talk in a tone that sounded like her normal voice. "Well...um I know, it's not really my business but Nurse joy recommends that a nurse asks if a patients is alright if they happened to look upset or are cry-"

"No." Ash snapped. He refused to tell Iris about this. He didn't want to hurt her any more than he already was by telling her about his heart problem to begin with.

"Are you sure, Ash?" She asked, her tone worried and the feeling of her eyes staring at him. "I don't care that I saw you crying. I mean everyone cries, I just want to help-"

"Iris I don't want...I mean you just...can't help me with this, alright?" Laying back down and faced the window again. "Besides...the crying...i-it was nothing."

"Nothing?" Iris repeated, her tone sounding slightly hurt that he wouldn't open up. " Ash...you can't just say that." Ash stiffened as he felt Iris's hand rest on his shoulder. "I...I don't want to say anything that could hurt your feelings Ash...but I'm going to have to be blunt about this." He heard Iris take a small breath before continuing. "You can't ignore your heart problem, Ash. I know it's unfair and it hinders you from what you want to do sometimes, but down right neglecting your disease isn't the right way to go about it. Besides Nurse Joy told me that sometimes people tend to ignore a body part which they can't use properly, and the best way to help them is to make them aware that the body part is there and it's still useful and important like the rest."

Ash sighed. "But...that's not the only reason, Iris."

"It's...it's not?" Iris sounded slightly surprised. "Then what-"

"He just makes me so mad!" Ash hissed, as he abruptly sat up at the thought of the one named Gary.

"He?" Iris blinked in a confused manner. "You mean Gary?"

Ash glanced over and nodded didn't really wanting to talk about it after all the angered thoughts the brunette brought to his mind. And even though he had calmed down Ash still didn't know why Gary got to him. Was just the way the brunette occasionally hinted that he most likely wouldn't survive and that that way bring pain to the closest people in his life. That alone awakened an old, but painfully familiar feeling inside him that urged him to rebel against people's expectations about his disease. People could tell him again and again that he most likely wouldn't make it, but he was determined to prove them all wrong.

"Why are you worrying about Gary?" Iris asked, in a humorous tone, as she got up from his bed to retrieve the small orange bottle of his daily medication she had refilled with clean pills. "You did beat him after all in that battle you two had."

"Yeah I know, but-" Ash paused as his head snapped over to look at his friend as he blurted. "Wait, how'd you know about that battle or that I won that battle?"

Iris froze at his words, her hand still clasped tightly around the bottle's lid. "Uh...well I-I just…" Iris stammered as she went on to carefully twist off the lid and get a single pill from the container before setting it down. "Ash, that's not important right now, it's time for you medicine so-"

"But I'm serious, how'd you find out, Iris?" Ash asked.

"I just heard about it that's all!" Iris insisted, but Ash could hear the lie in her voice. "Now could you please just take your medicine, Ash?"

Still not willing to let this go, Ash shook his head. "Nope! I'm doing anything until you tell me, Iris."

"Ash, this is no time to be messing around! You gotta take your medicine on time, besides whatever I know isn't important!"

"Yes it is! Now tell me or I'm not taking my medicine." Ash threatened as he turned away, his lips tightly pressed together in refusal. He heard Iris give a small noise of annoyance and to was hard for him to keep from laughing due to the playful atmosphere that had appeared in the room. "So what's it gonna be, Iris? You gonna spill the beans are show Nurse Joy how bad of a nurse you are-Hey!"

Ash was suddenly thrown off balance as he felt Iris climb on the bed and then her weight on his back as an arm looped around his neck in a loose head lock position while a hand reached out and started to squish his cheeks in attempt to get his mouth open.

As he struggled he heard Iris giving a small giggle. "You know I didn't want to do this, but Nurse Joy taught me that when naughty patients aren't doing what the nurse says, you've gotta take action to do what's best for them. Now open up!"

"Nofth waytfth!" Ash managed as squirmed to get out of Iris's grip but only winced as he felt her finger hook his bottom lip. Refusing to give up so easily Ash reached up and captured both Iris's wrists and pulling them away from him and with that done he quickly whipped around and finished by pinning Iris's arms down to her sides.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Iris protested, with a pouting look, as her eyes darted away in embarrassment for being so easily restrained. "I was just going easy on you,"

The raven haired teen only gave a small laugh."Doesn't matter, I still won." He had to pause to take a few breaths, the play fighting's sudden movements had worn him out a bit but he refused to let this be seen as he demanded. "Now tell me how you found out about the battle, Iris."

"Will you take your medicine if I do?"

"Yeah, yeah I promise."

"...Alright fine." Iris said. Dark brown eyes darted away as the girl hesitated but after a moment she finally blurted. "I found out cause I asked Gary."

"Gary? When you have time to do that?"

"Uh...well when I had him drive me to the hospital to go visit you-"

"You let him do what?"

"I...I let him drive me to the hospital last week."

"Why?! Why would you let him, of all people, drive you?"

"Well I didn't have many options-ugh that's not the point. Why are you upset about this?"

Ash blinked, did he really have to spell it out for her? "Because...it's Gary we're talking about! He's annoying, a show off and a perverted freak!"

At this Iris rolled her eyes. "Well, no duh, but you've gotta give people a second chance sometimes." She looked away, a slight smile on her face, "Besides I gotta admit that it was really nice of him to do that for me."

At her words Ash felt something clawing within his chest. It was the desire to keep Iris to himself and far away as possible from that smooth talking brunette, "That wasn't him trying to be nice, and you know it, Iris! Besides with the way you were dressed and with your hair all nice...and uh..." Ash felt his face burn at the image of when he saw Iris wearing her nurse uniform without the apron for the first time. "What would have Drayden thought if he heard what you did?"

"Hey, you leave Drayden out of this!" Iris snapped, eyes narrowing as she jerked away from the grip on her arms. "Besides all I wanted to do was go see you in the hospital and Gary lended me a hand that's all! So I don't see why your pestering me about this."

"I'm not pestering!"

"Then what are you saying?!"

"I don't want someone like him to hurt you, Iris!"

By now, the playful atmosphere had been replaced by an angered one but once Ash had spoken those words a wave of silence washed over the room. Allowing the girl and the boy to just stare at each other. Amber meeting brown.

"Y-You what?" Iris whispered.

"I...I-I just…" Ash felt his face burning. He hadn't meant to say that outloud, but the thought of Gary taking Iris around without him there...it got his so worked up. His blood was boiling. He was breathing hard. His heart was pounding. Pounding hard and fast. HIs head was spinning. And his chest...it was hurting. Hurting bad. Really bad. "Urk!" Ash croaked as he felt a burst of pain flare up in his chest.

"Ash! What is it?!" He heard the panic in Iris's voice. He hated to hear that.

Forcing down gulps of air to keep himself calm and help the feather light feeling in his head, Ash managed to mutter out. "It's n-nothing...serious...just chest p-pain...happens after ugh…heart attacks...uggh..."

"You need to lie down, come on." Iris crossed her legs and patted them.

Normally Ash would object, but at the moment he didn't care, besides laying down always helped with the pain. As Ash layed there on Iris's lap, taking deep breaths and trying his best to suppress the dizziness in his head, he couldn't help but feel foolish for once again letting that brunette get between him and Iris again. Rolling over so he was able to look up at his childhood friend, Ash opened his mouth to apologize for getting so upset but before he could Iris cut in.

"Sorry, Ash." She said quietly. "I know you and Gary aren't on good terms but, I was just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt that he might a good guy, as a friend of course. And yeah, it was stupid of me to hop in his car, regardless of where I needed to go. I didn't mean to get you so worked up." Ash would have cut in to tell her that there was no need for apology but he was focusing so much on breathing that he couldn't, so he just nodded to accept the unnecessary apology. Iris suddenly gave a small laugh. "I don't even know I brought the battle up, I mean it is the whole reason why you were hospitalized. It was dumb of me."

"No…" Ash wheezed out, the pain slowly starting to pass. "It's fine...I'm the one who shouldn't have gotten worked up-"

"Oh, by the way while Gray was telling me about the battle, he mentioned something about a wager." At this Ash stiffened and had to look away from Iris's inquiring look. This seemed to make the girl a bit more intrigued as she went on to say. "Ash, did this wager have to do anything with Serena...or maybe even me?"

"No...not at all." Ash responded.

"Really? Because my sixth sense is telling me otherwise." Iris said with a smile.

Heaving a sigh, and suddenly feeling too tired to think up a good lie due to the fatigue creeping up on him now that the pain in his chest finally receding, Ash murmured. "The bet we had was that if I were to beat him, Gary stay out of our business."

"Really...that was it?" Looking up Ash could see the surprised expression on Iris's face. The cute look made him smile, which caused Iris to smile back as she said. "I..I never thought you'd risk your life for me, Ash."

"Well...I really wasn't risking it...well I was...I mean I didn't know I was going to have a heart-"

"Alright, I get it you silly little kid." She teased, as she reached over and carefully obtained the glass of water and a new pill since the one she had before had been lost in their playfight. "Now how about you take your medicine?" Having no energy to put up a fight, Ash allowed Iris to place the pill in his mouth and help him swallow the water before he rested his head back on her lap. "I think it be best if you tried to get some shut eye Ash," Iris said but making no movement to remove his head from her lap. "But before I leave you be I just want to let you know that I want us to put this Gary business behind us. And even though I may not fully know why all this happened, I'm just glad that you're back from the hospital and doing better, and that I support you no matter what, just like you've been doing for me, Ash."

At her words Ash couldn't help but feel his face warm. "Oh...um well thanks Iris...I-I really appreciate that." Ash sheepishly spoke as he dared to stare up and admire the girl that was letting him use her lap as a pillow.

This was Iris Dragonlight, his childhood friend. She was graceful and beautiful and perfect in her own personal way and with the way the light shone through the window, reflecting wonderfully off her dark royal purple locks and illuminating her eyes that resembled warm chocolate, he knew no one could say otherwise. She was the light that was guiding him through the darkness of his heart disease. Yes, that sounded terribly cheesy, but it was true. And with Iris being so close and looking os magnificent Ash couldn't help but wonder...was this the second chance Arceus was giving him? Of course, this had to be it, this was the perfect moment to tell his beloved friend how he really and truly felt about her! So deciding to waste no more time, Ash managed to gather some courage and utter out. "Uh...I-Iris, there's s-something I have to tell you.."

"Hmm? Yeah what is it?" Iris asked, tilting her head ever so slightly and allowing her neat ponytail to drape over her shoulder in an elegant manner.

Her involinatry cute actions look casued Ash's breathing became irregular again. The faster he spilled his secret, the quicker he could calm down. "I don't know how I should say this, but- no I mean -"

"Ash, sweetheart I-Oh my!" The sound of Mrs. Ketchum's voice startled both teens, causing them to freeze in their place. Eyebrows rising and hands going to her hips the mother asked in a playfully stern tone. "What's going on in here? Hopefully not anything inappropriate!"

"Mom!" Ash wailed in embarrassment and from the fact that the perfect moment he had waited so diligently for now gone in a heartbeat.

Iris, on the other hand blushed a deep red at Delia's words. "What n-no! Nothing inappropriate here! Ash just had a chest pain and needed to lie down, that's why he's resting his head on my lap, honest!" The girl then tried to prove her point by quickly shoving a pillow underneath Ash's head in replacement of her legs and getting to her feet and smoothing out her apron in a rushed manner.

The girl's actions coaxed a laugh from the brunnette women. "Oh, I was just teasing," she giggled as she came over and patting the girl on the head. Turning to her son she added. "Now, I just finished speaking to Nurse Joy and she's going to make sure you're going to be just as comfortable here as if you were at home. And with such a pretty nurse like Iris looking after you, I'm sure that'll be easy."

"Mom, please!" Ash groaned at his mother's suggestive tone. "It's not a big deal, Iris's just here to make sure I take my medicine and rest and stuff."

"I know, I know," The mother came over and ruffled her son's raven hair. "But since I'm going to be heading to the train station soon you have to promise me you'll be good and not cause any trouble for Iris and Nurse Joy, alright?"

"Yeah...I promise, mom." Ash murmured.

"Ash," she spoke in a warning voice, making Ash sigh in annoyance.

"Fine...I-I pinky promise," Ash said in defeat and blushed a deep scarlet color as he held up his pinky finger and hooked it with his mother's, causing Iris to giggle at his mother's doting behavior.

"Good," Mrs. Ketchum then sat on her son's bed and opened her mouth and then abruptly shut it as she turned to look at the girl dressed in pink. "Uh...Iris, I don't mean to sound rude...but there's something I need to tell Ash...it's kind of private..."

"Oh, I don't mind leaving!" Iris knew she had no right to stand in the way of a private conversation between the mother and son."In fact I have some other things to attend to!" She headed for the door, and bid Ash and Delia a farwell, but before she could close the door behind her a blur of yellow fur darted past her.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he hopped up on the bed and started to nuzzled the raven haired teen.

Smiling at the adorable sight, Iris closed the door and started down the hall. With a sigh the girl let out a large breath, she didn't realize she was holding, as that nice warm fuzzy feeling spread throughout her whole being. Yes, Iris was overjoyed that Ash was back at the academy but at the same time she was constantly worried about him, no matter how hard she tried to keep herself from doing so. And after walking in and seeing Ash crying...well she didn't know what to think! She wanted to help him but it was as if Ash didn't want to open up and ask for her help and now that she was his assigned nurse...things were bound to get awkward between the two of them. Scratch that, it already was already awkward considering she had to beat around the bush when he asked if he had actually dreamt about saying that he loved her or that she tried to lie to him about being with Gary last week and even though they both disliked the brunette she still was trying to give him a second, or was it third, chance.

"Hello? Is anyone home in there?" There a sharp poke on her forehead, causing Iris squeak before she jumped at the sudden sight of the blond girl Serena standing before her. The purple haired girl had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the girl's figure approaching her. Serena giggled. "Sorry, did I scare you?" she asked humorously.

"Mew, what do you think?" Iris responded with a small laugh, placing her hand over her chest as her heart returned to it's normal pace. "So, uh what brings you here to the clinic?"

"Well you see, my mom sent me here to give Ash his homework and stuff he missed in class last week," Serena nodded at the multiple books she carried. "Mind to give me a hand?"

"Of course," Iris grabbed hold of some of the text books. "But since Ash is a little busy at the moment, how about we put them in the back room so I can give them to him later?"

"Sure that's fine," Serena agreed and followed the purple haired nurse into another room and set them down.

"Well that's done…" Iris voice trialed off as she waited for the other girl to head off. Seeing that she wasn't she asked. "Uh...is there something else you need, Serena?"

The blue eyes girl looked up at Iris, seemed to hesitate for a moment before admitting, "Um well...I kinda wanted to talk to you, Iris."

"Me?" Iris blinked, surprised that she wasn't asking to see Ash, the three of them were all friends afterall. "Oh I guess that's alright, I have a bit of time before I have to check on the medicine room, so i guess I got time to talk.

"Great!" Serena chirped, she headed for the door and beckoned Iris to follow. "How about we head outside?"

Iris nodded, despite the fun in helping Nurse Joy, the purple haired girl would still take whatever chance she got to get out of the stuffy clinic. So with Serena leading the way, with Iris walking slightly behind the blonde, the two made their way past the sport fields that were scattered across the campus. The place was packed by students either studying, hanging out, playing sports or training with their Pokemon.

"Let's go over there," Iris looked up to see Serena motioning towards a swing set.

"Okay," Iris replied nonchalantly, following the blonde as she made her way further.

As the two girls approached the swing set, Serena plopped down on the seat and immediately started to push herself slightly with the tip of her shoes allowing the slight breeze of the movement to brush her hair against her cheeks.

Iris sat down in the swing next to her, taking a hold of the ropes of the swing and looking upward. A smile grazed her lips at the wonderful sight of the clear blue midmorning sky that was dotted with small fluffy clouds.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your duties like this," Serena broke the silence between the two.

"Oh, worry about it," Iris waved her off quickly. "It wasn't like I was busy or anything, besides it's nice to get outside for some fresh air."

Serena looked over at her with a small smile. "This swing set is the perfect place to spend some time to hang out or talk. Not only do you get the perfect view of the campus, but it's also relaxing and peaceful, too."

"I get what you mean," Iris agreed as she closed her eyes and leaned back.

There was silence again and Serena opened and closed her mouth, unsure about how to word her next question. Her question didn't really have anything to do with her. She had spent morning and most of last night debating whether she should ask Iris or not. And in the end, that turned out to become very tiring. Especially in the middle of morning classes. But on the other hand, she couldn't stand the thought of staying uncertain about her feelings towards her longtime lost raven haired friend. She really needed an answer from the purple haired girl.

"Uh...um I-Iris," she stammered, looking over at the nurse-in-training who was still leaning back with her feet high up in the air, a childish grin all over her face.

"Yeah, Serena?"

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about this...and I've decided it would be best and not beat around the bush. So uh, I was wondering...uh do you like Ash?"

The serious and bold tone of Serena's question took Iris back so much that she almost lost her grip on the ropes of the swing. Pulling herself up with a swift movement, she inwardly thanked Arceus for not falling flat out on her back and messing up her work uniform. "Wh-Why would you wanna know that?"

"You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable with it," Serena added as she noticed the girl's flushed face. "It's just that.. uh..."

"Well...is it that obvious?" Iris asked embarrassedly. Part of her, the one that preferred to keep her true emotions hidden, had denied her tiny crush on Ash ever since she began to feel attracted to him. She had no idea how it happened, or why. It had been very confusing and sort of frustrating in the beginning, especially since they hung out almost every day. She had bottled up her feelings the last few years to the point she almost couldn't help herself but grab his shoulders and confess straight to his face. The thing that stopped her though, was the fact she didn't want to spoil their friendship. For all she knew it wasn't love what she was feeling, maybe it was just puppy love due their young age. That was the one thing she had to hold on to.

"Obvious? No, no! It was just a question out of the blue," Serena broke in. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked..."

"It's okay," Iris smoothed out her pink pokeball printed apron nervously. "Did you ask because...you might uh...know,happen to like him too?"

At this the blonde stiffened but she quickly went on to answer."I've decided to be straightforward with you, Iris. So yeah, I happen to have this teeny tiny crush on him." Serena looked over to see brown eyes blinking in concern. "No need to look so troubled. I promise that I won't come in between the two of you."

"But...how can you be fine with it?" Iris sputtered. "Wouldn't it hurt for you to stand in the back?"

"Well, I guess...but you can't make someone fall in love with you and if Ash doesn't like me that way, then so be it. I can't force him to like me," Serena voice trailed off. "And besides, I think the reason I liked him in the beginning was because he's so carefree and hard working. He really inspired me to open myself more and follow my dreams rather than what my mother wanted."

Iris nodded understandingly, rocking herself back and forth on the swing. "In that case I think the same goes for me too." She smiled at the other girl "I-I can live with being second best if you're the one Ash chose. As long as you're both happy."

"Wait what?" Serena jumped from her swing and turned to face Iris as a frown made its way on her features. Seeing that Iris looked dead serious, she couldn't help but fall in a fit of giggles. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're more dense than a brick wall!"

"What?! Who are you calling a brick wall?" Iris laughed too, giving her a playful shove.

"Iris, do I have to spell it out? The one Ash likes is you!" Serena reached out her hand and pointed it at her forehead.

"What? No! You're crazy."

"No, you're just blind."

Flushing red at Serena's words Iris sputtered out. at can't be right! I mean how could you even think that?"

"Oh, _please_. I've seen the way he is when you're around. He gets this little twinkle in his eyes and he's all happy and energetic. Even Pikachu gets this mischievous look like he knows what's going on," Serena rambled on. "And with the way you two act around each other, sometimes it's just so darn funny to watch you get all flustered! I don't know how else to say it, but I swear everyone beside the two of you can see what's going on."

"Having I really been that dense? I mean I see Ash everyday and from what I know all he cares about is food, Pokemon and his ambitions. But love? He wouldn't know what love is even if it came biting him in the butt." Iris explained with a short laugh.

"Right, it is Ash we're talking about after all," Serena realized thoughtfully. "But even if he doesn't know what it is, he can't help but feel attracted to you. I've seen it with my eyes."

"Alright, alright enough about me," Iris cursed the blood that was making her face even redder than a Cheri berry. Even if she wasn't really comfortable with the thought of her and Ash as a couple, some weight seemed to disappear from her chest. What Serena just told her kind of reassured her that her childhood friend just might returned her feelings. Besides he had said he loved her...well not really but still, it was a start

Serena laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I got a bit carried away..."

"Um actually Serena...thank you for helping me sort out my thoughts," Iris spoke up, tearing her gaze up from the ground and over to the other girl. "My head's been a mess ever since Ash's...incident last week and I didn't know what I should do about those feelings I've bottled up, but thanks for hearing me out."

"You're very welcome," Serena replied as she glanced down on her watch. "I'd like to spend more time with you, but my piano lesson with Calvin is starting soon."

"Judging by the frown on your face, I guess piano really isn't your thing," Iris suggested.

"Bingo! I just hate to see mom so disappointed every time I disagree something she likes," the blonde sighed. "The look she got when I quit Rhyhorn racing is one of the worst things I've ever witnessed."

"I'm sure she want you to do whatever you like deep down inside. I understand that she gets excited if you follow her footsteps, but in the long run you're the one who'll get unhappy because of it."

"You're right. I'll have to talk to her after class about it," she said as she turned started back towards the Academy building, but she stopped short. "Say, I've got all Saturday off. How about I show you around town?"

"Oh, that sounds great," Iris said cheerily before she realized something and bushed. "But I already promised to hang out with Ash Saturday morning...Is it okay if I met you around the afternoon?"

"As I said, I got all day off," Serena winked.

Iris jumped up from the swing. "I can't wait to see everything the town has to offer," she bubbled as the two girls made their way back to the Academy.

"Even if it isn't really big, it got a huge mall and some other stores scattered around. I bet most of the students are going to hang out so the store owners will put on more effort than usual to stock up the shelves," Serena clasped her hands together. "You're gonna love it!"

"I can't wait to get back to my dorm and tell Axew. The poor little guy has felt a little left out because I've been so busy..." The look the poor baby Pokemon gave her every time she had to leave for work was heart wrenching! She had been lucky her dorm neighbor had been nice enough to take him to classes so he wouldn't be alone anymore.

"I'm going to bring my Fennekin too," Serena added. "And with that being said, I have to leave before Calvin freaks out and think I got kidnapped or anything..."

"Kidnapped? Isn't that a little too much?" Iris chuckled.

Serena shrugged merely. "I know, like that's going to happen. I'll see you around, Iris."

"For sure," Iris agreed as the two shared a hug before walking in their opposite directions.

Iris sprinted up the stairs towards the nursing room knowing that her other morning duties had to be completed, but as she walked into the clinic she found her feet taking her to Ash's room. Seeing this the girl stopped and shook her head. 'What am I doing?I got work to do and I can't be watching him 24/7, besides Ash hates that.' Iris turned to head to the medicine room when the door to Ash's room suddenly open and out walked Deila.

"Oh, Deila I-" She was cut off as the mother put her finger to her lips before pointing to the slightly opened door. Iris peeked inside and smiled at the cute sight. Ash had fallen asleep with Pikachu snuggled in his arms and peacefully sleeping as well. It was nice to know the electric mouse would be there for his trainer no matter what.

"He dozed off just a little while ago," Delia informed as she closed the door. Giving a small smile to Iris she went on say. "I just wanted to talk to him before I head back to Kanto is all."

"You're heading back already?" Iris questioned, slightly sad she wouldn't see the bubbly woman until later.

Nodding the brunette adjusting the back she wore on her shoulder and started down the hall, Iris following. "I also wanted to say goodbye to you as well, but I don't want to take up too much of your time nurse Iris," She said teasingly as she reached down and hugged the girl with purple hair.

"Thank, Mrs. Ketchum." Iris hugged the women back.

Letting the girl go, the mother gave a satisfied sigh. "Well now that I've said my goodbyes, I best get going." She started on her way but then stopped. "Oh, before I forget, Drayden told me that you should send him letters more often. I know you're busy and all Iris but sending your father a message once in a while would just do him good."

"Ugh, I forgot about that," Iris rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "But I'll write to him as soon as I get off my shift."

"Very good. Now I gotta go." She waved, "And make sure to take good care of my little boy!"

Smiling Iris nodded. "No need to worry. Mrs. Ketchum!" She then turned and head off the finish the rest of her daily duties.

With the purple haired girl was out of sight, Mrs. Ketchum shook her head humorously. That girl sure was something special.


	14. A Spark

"Today is going to be a good day." Iris whispered to herself as she had opened the window, allowing bright morning sunshine to banish the darkness from her dark dorm room. Leaning her upper body out of the window the teen took a deep breath of the sweet morning air, her long purple locks sway along with the gentle breeze.

It had been two and a half weeks, since Iris had woken up feeling this great. During that time her mornings would consist of her waking up before the sun and rushing through her morning routine in order to make it to the clinic on time. Not to mention that every waking minute of her day she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, considering she had to take care of her weakened best friend, all while the words Serena had said about Ash liking her bouncing around in her head. Overall, it had been a stressful two weeks and Iris was just grateful that her beloved friend had made a nice recovery from his heart attack. Shaking her head to clear it of that nightmarish memory, the purple haired girl decided to get her day started, besides after all her hard work taking care of Ash, Nurse Joy had given her the weekend off and she didn't want to waste any of it!

So, after brushing her teeth and running a comb through her long purple hair, she went to wake up Axew and Pikachu who, after a few groggy minutes of waking up, started a game of chase while Iris got dressed. However, halfway through their game the two Pokemon stopped and stared at the girl with curiosity as they realized a difference in the girl's mood. She seemed much more happy and at ease as she got ready for the day. There was a bouncy spring in her step and she was humming happily, but what was even more surprising is that Iris hadn't scolded them for running carelessly around in her dorm like she usually did.

Axew tilted his head in curiosity as his eyes fixed themselves on Iris after a while. "Ax ew ew?"

"Yeah, almost done," Iris said cheerily as she finished fixing her long hair into a single French braid before tying a white ribbon at the end to hold it all together. Giving a short nod of approval to her reflection in the full length mirror, she twirled around to face the two Pokémon. "Do you think this is okay?" She motioned to her outfit of choice and sheepishly added. "It's not too much, is it?"

Pikachu and Axew surveyed her white dress that had navy blue flowers lining the hem and navy blue cardigan to match that she wore over her shoulders. Her white leggings and blue converse worked well with her outfit of choice as well as her long braid that draped down her back. It wasn't like Iris to dress overly feminine, but Drayden had sent the outfit to her, as a gift in order to help her feel better during the week Ash was in hospital, and Iris felt that it would be a shame if she didn't wear it.

"Axew!" The baby Pokemon gave a thumbs up.

"Pika pi," Pikachu exclaimed before running over to the door. Pointing at it, Iris seemed to get what he was saying. Pikachu had been eager to reunite with Ash again over the past two weeks. Unlike her, the electric mouse hadn't had the chance to see Ash much since the accident.

"You're right Pikachu. We should get going if we want to spend much time as possible with Ash," Iris said, swinging her pink bag over her shoulder and heading towards the door all the while trying to ignore the blush dusting her cheeks at the thought of spending time with Ash again. It shouldn't be a big deal...she had done that most of her life! But yet, meeting up with her raven haired friend was always something she looked forward to.

Besides a single day wouldn't be the same without him.

**-:-**

The second Iris had opened the door of the room Ash had been staying in, to announce her presence, the loud sound of guy's talking (or more like shouting) greeted her. Iris could only blink her brown eyes as she waited for all the guys present in the room to acknowledge her and the two Pokemon. However, they didn't have to wait long as Pikachu exclaimed his name and bounded over towards his beloved trainer and jumped straight into his arms and nuzzled his chest. Ash chuckled and patted the top of his head in greeting.

Suddenly a tall, red-haired boy turned towards the doorway and flashed a broad grin at her. "Hey, Ash! Your _friend_ is here," he commented, emphasizing the word 'friend.'

Ash and the other guy, a brunette, immediately followed his gaze and soon all attention were directed at Iris. The girl chuckled nervously. She had never liked to be directly in the limelight, but despite this she waved and gave a small smile. "Uh, h-hi Ash...I um didn't know you had visitors."

"Me neither," Ash shook his head playfully. "These two invited themselves over without even bothering to give me a heads up."

"Hey, as part of the Pokemon Battle club it's our job to pay a visit to our friend who's been stuck on bed rest for a week!" The brunet boy stated in a matter of fact tone. "As well as giving him a get-well-soon gift." Iris' eyes fell upon the neat gift basket that sat on Ash's nightstand. The contents were wrapped in plastic with a large, red bow attached on the top.

"It's from all of us on the team," the red head boy added as he noticed Iris starring.

"That's so nice of you all," Iris smiled.

"Yeah, so you better hurry up and get back to being your 100% self soon, Ash. We need you back on the team," the red haired boy said, slapping Ash on the back.

"Yeah, yeah I know, Stephen." Ash said with a grin to the redhead as he walked over to his bed to grab his special Pokemon League hat and put it over his messy raven locks. "You and Ritchie just try to keep our team up at the top until Monday, that's when Nurse joy said I'd be given the green light to go back to my normal schedule here at the academy."

"You can count on that Ash," the brunette boy, Iris now knew as Ritchie, said with a nod. He then gave a teasing look as he added "Now how about you open that gift of yours so you and your friend can head out on that date."

"Yeah, man, it's rude to leave a lady waiting ya know!" Stephan added with a laugh.

Iris cursed the warmness that flushed across her cheeks at the boys' comments, and Ash gave a small laugh as he darted him amber eyes over towards her before quickly turning his attention to the gift basket. After removing the plastic and the bow, amber eyes widened in joy as he eyed all the different fruits, Pokemon Magazines, gift cards and best of all... "You got me two tickets for the Pokemon Tournament?!"

Ritchie nodded. "Of course we did. We hoped you could pick up a trick or two from the battlers and improve your battle strategies. Since... you know, you can't battle as much as the rest of us and all..."

"You guys are the best!" Ash declared, a grin overtaking his face. "Thanks a bunch! We got no time to lose!"

Still smiling, Ash ran over to the doorway and took a hold of Iris's hand and squeezed it eagerly, his twinkling amber eyes meeting with her dark chocolate ones. "Wanna go with me to the tournament, Iris? I know we had other plans and all but I really want to go!"

Feeling a smile tug at her lips from the pleading look her friend was portraying, Iris could only nod her head in agreement. "Sure, why not? Besides it wasn't like we planned to do anything specific so- Hey..!"

Iris was interrupted as Ash lifted a bit off the off the floor and spun her around, laughing all the while. "Hey, you know you're not suppose to lift things Ash!" Despite this being true Iris couldn't help but giggle as well when he put her down and gave a cute apologetic look.

However, their small moment was interrupted by exaggerated gushing and whistles from Ritchie and Stephen.

"Never mind them, they're just jealous," Ash told her humorously before turning to face his club mates. "See ya later guys and tanks for the tickets!"

Ash's battle club team grinned evilly at the raven haired teen. "Bye Ash, don't stay out too late," They jeered and chuckled as Ash offered them one last wave.

* * *

Ash and Iris followed the stone pathway that lead towards the wide open school gates, chatting happily along the way and enjoying each other's company. So much so that they didn't notice the large limousine pulling up in front of the Poke-Academy. And as the two of them disappeared around the corner, a man stepped out from the elongated sleek vehicle. He was probably in his sixties, dressed in a lab coat. Soon other people dressed in business like attires stepped out of the limousine, closed the car door shut, and motioned the driver to be on his way.

"It's been a long time since I was here," the old man mused, giving a good look over the campus before him crowded with students. Like old times all the sports field were occupied, the only difference being that everyone seemed to have fun playing. The usual tensed battle atmosphere was whisked away with the joyous sounds of laughter and shouts filling the air. The grassy fields were full of students enjoying their day off, eating ice cream and chatting away.A smile played on the old man's lips as his eyes drifted from the students to the large brick building hovering over the campus.

"Indeed. Let's get inside, Headmaster Grace is expecting us," one of the women spoke up.

Nodding shortly, the man folded his hands behind his back before stepping into the academy he founded many years ago.

* * *

"Whoa, it's even bigger up close!" Ash exclaimed excitedly as he and Pikachu looked up at the large arena the tournament would be held at. "Come on, Iris! Let's get inside!"

"Hey, hold on! The battle doesn't start until two hours, you little kid!" Iris teased as she had to stop and catch her breath do to how she had to run to keep up with her excited friend. Normally she was suppose to discourage him from running so fast but, today was their day off and for the most part Ash seemed fine, so no harm done.

"Ugh, this sucks," Ash moaned in disappointment and hung his head down.

"Pikaa-" Pikachu agreed. He had been eager to watch a Pokemon battle up close just like his trainer.

"Oh stop it, there's no need to get all sad," Iris said, rolling her eyes at his childish behavior. Nudging him she indicated to their surrounds, upon Ash looking up the two friends shared a expression of excitement and pure happiness. The open area near the stadium had been turned into a large and colorful carnival. Their eyes wandered towards all the booths, food, prizes, banners, balloons all scattered around."What should we do first?" She asked, brown eyes sparkling with anticipation. Since it was Ash's first day outside in weeks Iris felt it was only right to let Ash choose first.

"The games! I want to try the games first!" Iris felt her heart melted when he energetically rushed ahead, a smile on his face, as he took her by the hand and pulled her along.

She didn't understand why a simple act of holding hands was causing her heart to flutter so much. They had always held hands... why did it feel so different this time?

"...Hey somebody in there?" Iris snapped back to reality as Ash poked lightly on her forehead. They had stopped by the ring toss booth and Iris immediately returned to her competitive self.

"Oh, ring toss? Wow, Ash I didn't know you were that eager to lose!" Iris teased as she reached into her purse to get her wallet.

"Careful, Iris, my aim is really good," Ash leaned over the counter and flashed her a confident look.

Iris looked up and meet his gaze. Her cheeks warmed up at how Ash smiled down at her, his jet black hair glinting under the sun and swaying from the slight wind. It was kind of...no very..dare she say hot? The very thought caused the purple haired teen to almost want to squeal like a overly excited fangirl, but she shook her head and turned to the owner of the stand "Uh...we'd like to try this game," she told the brunet man behind the counter and handed him the money. She wasn't letting Ash distract her that easily!

"Sure," the man handed them a set of five rings each, blue rings for Ash and red ones for Iris.

"You ready?" Ash smirked.

Flashing a grin of her own she nodded. "You bet! There's no way I'm going to lose."

**-:-**

"Wahh! I can't believe I lost!" Iris slumped down to the ground anime style as a dark blue aura emitted from her. It had been a close game with Iris only losing by two missed rings on the targeted stick, while Ash dominated by effortlessly landing all of the rings on the stick he was appointed to.

"Told you I was good!" Ash chuckled and slapped Pikachu a high five.

"Yeah, I-I guess you were better than I anticipated. Congrats, Ash." Iris said as she straightened up and smoothed her white dress. "How did you learn to aim and time everything so well?"

"Oh, I was the pitcher of my little league baseball team," Ash answered, tugging the brim of his cap. "It was before you moved into the neighborhood of course."

"Well all that practice must of paid off," The booth manager seemed impressed as he indicated to the prizes he had to offer. "Now what prize would you like, kid?"

Amber eyes scanned what was there, t-shirts, hats, and plush toys. "I'll take that one," Ash pointed at a cute Dragonair plushie and then without any sign of hesitation turned and held it out to the girl with purple hair. "Here, Iris for you, since...you know...um ever since we were little you kept saying how much you wanted to become a great Dragon master one day...and I'm sure you can still do it, uh p-plus cause I a-already got a gift from the guys so I-I um..." His voice trailed off as he scratched his Z marked cheek, that looked slightly pink, and placed the doll in her arms.

"Oh...t-thank you, Ash..." Iris manage to say, too stunned at the sudden gift to say anything else. Looking down at it, she admired it's cute size and design, it was about the size of a normal teddy bear and had cute pink bow tied around the horn on its head. Ash had given her gifts before, for her birthday, holidays, and of course their yearly gift exchange to celebrate their first day of friendship, but this one was just out of the blue and it felt nice to be given a gift that was unexpected, especially from someone she held so close to her heart.

"Come on, let's try the other rides before the battle starts," Ash grabbed her hand once again and dragged her further into the crowded carnival.

The two hours went by too quick for their liking. Rides and games had been played like Balloon Darts, Whack-A-Drilbur, Bumper Cars, The Swing Ride etc. Both teens and Pokemon had been tired of being locked in the Academy and this newly found freedom felt fantastic. Just like the old days where they would run about without any worries. Ash was about to ask Iris if she wanted to head over to another ride when he caught her staring at the arena. The shadow of the gigantic stadium hung over them thanks to the sun's bright rays shining against ere was something magical about the arena, and he was sure Iris felt it too, as if it was calling to them, waiting for them to get inside. Ash wasn't sure what it was, but there was a gut feeling in his stomach that he couldn't put his finger on, but he figured that if he took her inside the giant stadium, something important would happen between the purple haired girl and himself.

He took his chances and asked her. "Want to go over to the battle arena?"

"The arena?" She asked curiously, her eyes holding a sparkle in them. "Sure! I don't want to miss a single second of all the action."

At the sight of Iris's beaming smile Ash felt cheeks burned and his heart skipped a beat for no reason, but before he could ponder these odd symptoms, he found himself being pulled from his seat and being led by her soft small hand which tightly grasped his. After standing in line for quite some time, both of them soon found themselves seated alongside the other spectators inside the giant arena. A tall man wearing a black suit and tie stood in the middle of the arena, with a microphone in hand and adjusting his e crowd, including Iris and their two Pokémon erupted into a flurry of cheers and applause as the man welcomed them to the annual Pokemon Tournament. The cheers continued to flow through the crowd as the man whipped a handful of notecards out of his pocket and started to name the competitors.. The energy in the air was palpable, and normally Ash would've been ecstatic to be here this moment.

Normally.

However, Ash was feeling anything but normal and it was driving him insane! A real tournament was about to be held right before his eyes and yet he couldn't concentrate. Shaking his head, Ash found his mind wondering back to what he and his mom had talked about the day she had to return to Kanto.

* * *

"Don't worry mom. I'm only going to be studying here for a year, not a lifetime." Ash said, giving a tired smile as he tried to reassure Delia of this fact as he gently patted the electric mouse that was still snoozing on his lap. "Besides, I got Pikachu, Iris and a bunch of friends I made this past few months. I promise I'll be okay. So...You don't have to worry about me so much."

"I know honey...i-it's just that..." Delia drew in a sharp breath and brought a hand to her mouth before she shifted her weight on the bed and turned to look away from her son lying in the clinic bed to the window that displayed a peaceful day. A complete contrast to the feelings that tumbled about in her head at the moment.

"Mom..." Ash spoke softly, noticing how the women who loved him all his life seemed to be lost for words for a moment and didn't look at all like her usual perky self. And the worried expression wrinkling her brow only added to the boy's discomfort, especially since he knew he was the cause of her concern. Ash knew he shouldn't be too hard on himself about this but seeing his mother like this left him clutching his hand to his heart as it sank within his chest. Not knowing what else to do Ash forced his sluggish body to reach over, allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist and rest his forehead on her shoulder. He felt her body tense for a moment before the mother released a shaky sigh and returned the embrace.

"I'm sorry...I-I'm just overreacting, is all," Delia said, her voice slightly muffled as she rested her cheek against her son's mop of messy raven hair. Something resembling a small laugh escaped her as she added. "You're a strong boy, Ash, and I'm proud of you for being so optimistic throughout all of this. But as a mother...I can't help feeling so helpless when you get so sick…" the women's voice cracked slightly and reached down and cupped her son's Z-marked cheeks in her warm hands. Her brown eyes softened a little. "But what's more it metimes I can't help but feel bad because of what I've done. Of all the hardships I put you through..."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Ash asked, as his mother helped him lay back down.

"About what happened in elementary and middle school." There was a slight pause as Deila adjusted the covers and sighed. "I kept reminding your teachers about your condition...I even went as far as calling your classmates' parents to ask them if they could make sure their kids were careful around you. The worst being when you were in the baseball team back in preschool. I know you loved playing and yet I made you stay as the pitcher. I hate to think back about how lonely and out of place you felt while growing up. I-I thought...I was doing the right thing because I truly wanted you to be safe, but with your condition becoming more prevalent...I feel like I was being a terrible mother by not letting you enjoy the earlier years of your life...and it terrifies me knowing that you...you might not be able to do mu-much more if y-you..." The brunette's voice cracked, tears slipped from her eyes. She couldn't even finish the statement, the thought of her baby dying was too much, all she could manage was three shaky words. "...I-I'm so sorry."

"Mom," Ash murmured in a soft voice as he extended his hand to wipe away her tears. "You haven't done anything wrong. I know you did all this because you worried about me-"

"There's so many things I wish I haven't done," she let a hand run through her brown locks in her.

"I don't want to relive my childhood," Ash said bluntly, earning Delia's attention. "Because it was good as it could ever be. Even if I kept complaining about how much you would fuss around me, I loved the fact that you never gave up on me. You kept ditching work at the drop of a hat to pick me up at school, even when it was something as small as a cold or a fever, you always made your special 'healthy' desserts on special occasions so I wouldn't feel left out, I even remember how you practically screamed at one of my teacher for not letting me go to a field trip, heck- the list goes on," Ash shook his head. "You were always there and you did your best. I love you, mom."

"Oh Ash, sweetie you're making me cry again," Delia whimpered, giving a small smile and quickly wiped away a tear "I'm...I'm just so relieved you're not mad at me."

"How could I ever get mad at you?" The raven haired teen asked with a smile, before adding sheepishly. "The only thing that I could say that bugs me is when you smother me with all your kissing and hugging and questions of me being okay, and then there's the times when you totally embarrass me in front of my friends and make me eat those gross spinach-dishes,"

"Oh, Ash are you saying my food is gross?"

"No, no! I'm just saying spinach is gross-that's not the point mom. All I'm saying is that you're the world's greatest mom and I know you do all this stuff for me because you care about me and my well being."

Delia chuckled and kissed her son's forehead. "Thank you, honey." She then hesitated for a moment before going on and asking. "Um...Ash is it alright if I ask you about one more thing?"

"Sure. What's it about?"

"It's about Iris."

"Iris?" He repeated, as an image of the pretty girl appeared in his mind. "What about her?" Ash tried to say nonchalantly, but found it pretty challenging due his stomach doing a little flip and his heart skipping a beat at the mention of his close friend.

At his comment the mother couldn't help but smile. Ash could state anything he wanted, but his words weren't going to fool her. Like any mother would, Delia had picked up on the change in the relationship between the two childhood friends. Granted it had started small, when the two were around twelve years old, Delia had seen the change in Iris first. She remembered how the girl's big dark brown eyes would dart over to steal glances at Ash when they sat in the kitchen doing their homework together. And when her oblivious son would look up and catch her gaze, he'd give her a toothy grin, and at this Iris would snap out of her trance and look down with an uneasy expression. Not to mention her increasing appetite around him. Normally Delia would've guessed her appetite would lessen since love usually had that effect on people, but Iris gave herself away once she started thinking about how romance made her hungry.

At first Delia didn't think it was a big deal. That was until the hints became pretty evident to the brunette. The way both of them would spend more time than necessary hanging out, exploring the woods and talking together all day long. It was clear they enjoyed one another's presence.

However when it came to the change in her son, Delia found that it was a little different. While he was busy obsessing over Pokemon and school work, he was oblivious to Iris's slight crush. It didn't seem like Iris minded though. Sometimes Delia would catch a glimpse of Ash staring at Iris in wonder when she wasn't looking. When Iris caught his gaze and asked if she got anything on her face, Ash would get flustered and tell her it was nothing before giving a sheepish smile. The past year had been the hardest for the dense boy. Still being oblivious to romance, he would occasionally get frustrated when he couldn't speak or act 'normally' around his childhood friend anymore. Doing things he and Iris always had done together suddenly felt like a test he didn't study for. Delia could remember how after school or a day with Iris, he would come home and slump onto the couch and utter something about being dizzy and worn out. No wonder he was tired with all those hormones raging inside him, plus all the homework he had to get done. His frustration was directed at Delia too, who would laugh when he asked if he should go see a doctor about these odd symptoms. She said it was perfectly normal for a boy his age to feel like this, but her answer never seemed to satisfy her son.

"Mom, what's with that weird grin on your face?" Ash's voice asked gaining Delia attention.

Blinking and abandoning her thoughts, Delia realized she had been smiling to herself and along with her silence it must have looked rather weird to her son. "Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to know how your relationship with Iris was doing. Are you still close friends?"

"Of course we are! But-" Ash cut himself short, and quickly closed his mouth.

"But what?" Delia questioned, arching an eyebrow in curiosity

"But there's...um one thing...a n-new thing..." Ash paused and cleared his throat before hurriedly adding "Promise me you won't laugh or say anything to her." He knew his mother and Iris got along great and he couldn't risk her telling Iris about his recent troubles.

"Alright, I promise."

"Um.. well...I-I think I like her more than a friend…"

"Oh is that so?" The mother questioned.

Nodding Ash went on to clarify "My heart starts pounding so fast and crazy that I feel I'm gonna pass out at times! I mean I love Pikachu and hang out with him all the time, but it's a totally different feeling when I'm alone with Iris." Feeling his face warming he added. "Whenever she looks at me with her big eyes I just get so nervous...and I can't even think straight..." Delia couldn't help but chuckle, making Ash frown. "Hey! You promised you wouldn't laugh!" He exclaimed embarrassed.

"Sorry, sweetie, it's just you're so adorable getting all flustered over such a simple thing as love." Delia mused.

"Mom, stop it!" He mumbled hiding his face underneath the blankets. "I was just hoping you'd know what I should do." He asked, hopping his mother would just wiggle a magic wand and fix everything in a blink of an eye.

Pulling back the blankets she poked her son's blushing z-marked cheek and said simply, "Well, Ash, I think the only thing you can do is tell Iris exactly how you feel about her."

"What! I-I can't do that!" Ash exclaimed, sitting up so fast he nearly headbutted his own mother. "What if everything gets awkward between us and we drift apart and-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Delia said calmly, knowing that this level of excitement could raise his heart rate. "Just tell Iris when the time feels right...and don't do this just because I suggested Ash, do it for yourself." Delia ruffled her son's raven hair. "Besides once you do this heavy burden that lies on your shoulders will be whisked away," she smiled warmly as a nostalgic look came over her.

"So...you're sure it'll work?"

"Well, all I know is that it'll make you feel better. After that, the rest is for you to find out."

"Okay...sounds odd but I'll do it."

"Good, now how about you get some rest, alright?" the mother suggested. Her son nodded, but then without a word moved a bit closer to his mother and rested his head on her lap. Giving a soft smile Delia proceeded to run her hand through Ash's raven hair, a thing she'd do to help lull him to sleep whenever he was on bedrest.

It was a silent for a long while, with the teen relaxing and the mother fixing her eyes on the sunny day displayed through the window. Being lost in her thoughts, her mind wandered back to the girl that had captured her son's heart and it dawned on her that the main reason Ash didn't want to relive his early childhood was because Iris had been with him all along. And that alone was irreplaceable. What's more Delia could recall how during his frequent stays at the hospital he would talk a lot about her and how he wished he could play with her instead of being stuck in bed.

Even on the weekends where Iris and Drayden were out of town he would always eagerly wait for her return. Delia had been relieved Ash had found a friend who shared his easygoing and carefree nature. When they were together Ash became a different person in a way, his behavior became more carefree and he would allow himself to have fun. Delia couldn't be more grateful when Iris moved in that fateful day and unknowingly helped her son experience the joy of life through the simplicity of playing and hanging out. Overall the purple haired girl he had met easily become an important person in his life.

A sudden movement caused the women to snap back to the present. Looking down she noticed Ash had fallen asleep and was softly snoring. Smiling she adjusted her son's head back onto his pillow and fixed the blankets snuggly around him. Sighing, relieved that this heart attack scare was now over, she leaned over and pressed a kiss on his forehead, silently praying that her baby boy could live many, many more years and enjoy life as it was intended.

Delia wished she didn't have to leave so soon, but she knew this wasn't the case and gathered her things and headed for the door but upon opening it, there stood Iris. She put her finger to her lips, as she started to talk and the girl gave a sheepish grin. The mother couldn't help but smile back as she closed the door behind her and proceed to converse with the girl wearing her nurse uniform. And it was in that moment that Delia added to her prayer, she hoped that Ash could live many, many more years and enjoy life as it was intended with this girl by his side the entire way.

* * *

"I'm glad you're here with me, Iris. Even if you're not a student at the Academy," Ash stated bluntly causing Iris to turn her attention away from the battlefield and towards him.

Giving a look of confusion she asked, "What did you say?" She hadn't heard him over the sound of the crowd and moved closer to the raven haired teen beside her.

With Iris being so close to him, Ash could feel entire being tingle and all he could do is stare at how wonderfully different she appeared. The sunlight was reflecting off her sunkissed skin making her look like an angel as the gentle breeze caused a few purple strands that had gotten loose from her braid to dance around her face. "Aren't you going to repeat yourself, Ash?"

Her voice snapped the boy from his trance and he uttered out."I-I said uh...I'm...y-you're here with me, at th-this academy...and I...I mean I'm happy about that Iris." Noticing her more confused expression and feeling his heart pound faster as a sudden dizziness hit him, Ash blurted out. "I- I'm really happy...is all." Love was completely muddling up his brain!

"Oh! Well, I'm happy too, Ash," Iris reassured him with a soft smile, she started to look back at the battle field, but Ash stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"N-no, Iris you don't get it-" Now his cheeks had flushed red and he found it hard to breathe again. He had her attention, he couldn't blow this perfect chance. "Iris, I-I...I uh...you...I think-"

"Hey, it's okay, Ash. Try to relax and catch your breath." He was startled as Iris gently put her small hands on his shoulders. It was then that Ash noticed his uneven breathing and a slight throbbing in his head from the strain he was putting himself through."How about we get out of here for a moment?" He could only nod as the raven haired teen gazed into those deep brown eyes and the soft expression they displayed. It was looks like those that sent his heartbeat into a frenzy, causing his cheeks to flush a brilliant red. "Pikachu, Axew; we're going to get a little bit of fresh air," Iris told the two pokemon before getting up and guiding Ash through the cheering crowd.

Being too engrossed in the battle going on between two trainers on the battlefield, Axew and Pikachu didn't even bother looking up and their owners managed get to the stadium entrance tunnel, away from most of the noise. Iris waited patiently as Ash successfully managed to regulate his breathing. When he was done, he turned to the purple haired girl and took a step closer. Strangely enough, the calm look on her face rubbed off on him and whisked away some of his nervousness. It felt unreal. Those past years, his future, the hospital, the academy. Everything that piled up on him and added stress onto his shoulders.

And yet, Iris stayed by his side. She always had managed to help him somehow. When he was down, she helped him back on his feet. She always went that extra mile to make him happy. She helped him with techniques with that imaginative mind of hers, she taught him where the tastiest berries grew on trees, and she even put up with his excuses to not participate in anything that would overload his fragile d yet, she never urged him to spill his 'secret.' He still felt guilty about leaving her in the shadows. He never took the time to see how far he got with her. Everything had been a long, mysterious journey, and Iris had been with him all the way. If he wasn't too caught up feeling so sorry for himself, he would've realized this sooner.

He realized one thing though. There wasn't another minute he would waste. "Iris," he said, leaning a little closer towards e looked at him again, eyes full of curiosity."Thank you."

"For what?" She asked with a confused expression, not seeming to get the picture.

"I mean for being there for me all this time. I-If you hadn't been there those past ten years, I would've never gotten this far." Ash shut his eyes as the memories from his old classmates rejecting him appeared in his mind. Memories he had tried to shut out for so many years but came back stronger each time. "Cause you kept me going. You made me believe in myself, the way we used to picture our future. With those wild ideas and... and I truly thought I could achieve something big." Squeezing his amber eyes closed a few tears slipped down his cheeks as he swallowed hard against the lump forming in his throat. "Thanks for bringing out the best in me, Iris."

Ash flinched a little as he felt a cool hand cup his face and brushed away the tears with their thumb. He found himself opening her eyes to look at Iris face, adorned with sympathy. Usually Ash hated people feeling sorry for him, but this look on his friend's face didn't bother him. It gave him impression that she was truly trying to understand how he felt.

"Of course you can achieve great things, Ash." A grin formed on her lips. "Besides that's what you've done all along."

"B-But...I feel so useless sometimes," he admitted, looking down.

"It's okay to feel down sometimes, but don't let that get the best of you Ash. You've got some of the best grades in the academy and you always push yourself in everything you do and that's amazing! So what if you happen to have a heart disease... The disease alone can't stop you from doing great things, but your mind can." Iris let a hand sneak up to his head and ruffled his messy, dark locks. "You're way to hard on yourself, Ash."

"Yeah...I know," Ash chuckled.

"But I have to admit, I do admire you for all you put up with." A slight blush covered her face as she rested a hand over his heart.

"You...do? Hard to see since you call me a kid all the time."

Still looking at the hand on his chest, Iris laughed before continuing. "Yes, despite calling you a kid for being so reckless. And I'm not the only one. Your teammates in the battle club obviously admired you back there. Not only them, but Serena too. She managed to come out of her shell because of you encouraging her. That's pretty impressive. Not many people have that ability, Ash."

"You're right," Ash said softly as he removed her hand from where it rested on his chest and grasped it, enjoying the tingling sensation. "I'm sorry for pouring all this on you, but my head's a mess and I don't know what to do about it."

Smiling at their clasped hands and giving a light squeeze, Iris responded. "It's alright. Just promise me something, Ash."

"Anything," he assured her.

"Promise me, no matter what life throws at you, you won't let it knock you down." Before Ash could reply Iris startled him by leaning forward and gently pressing her forehead against his. "And continue to try your hardest, because I know how great you're with Pokemon and you will definitely make yours shine someday."

Staring into those lovely brown eyes Ash nodded. "It's a promise."

With her face only centimeters apart and their noses almost touching, a thought formed in his head. Words had never been his strong side, he was more the reckless type as Iris had just addressed. Maybe if he did this one thing he had thought of doing so often lately, everything else would fall into place. He didn't know how long they had stared at each other, nor when he noticed his hand found its way to her soft, warm cheek. All he knew was that he was leaning closer and closer to the girl before him, completely memorized by her dark chocolate brown eyes he loved so much, before he allowed his eyelids to close.

Then their lips brushed against each other, sparks were made and their feelings of love were set. Ash cupped his other hand on her other cheek, pressing her lips closer to his. Iris responded and kissed back with a small amount of pressure as her hands rested around his abdomen to hold him closer. And in that moment it was just the two of them. It was a moment that felt like a peaceful reality and at the same time like a whimsical fairytale land. Whatever it was, neither Ash and Iris wanted the moment to end. However when their lungs protested they separated for air, chocolaty meeting amber, a small smile formed on their flushed faces.

Surprisingly the action hadn't felt forced or odd despite them being friends for over a decade. Silly little crush or not, Ash couldn't help but feel ecstatic over the fact that Iris was here with him in his arms. Far away from anyone that could hurt or scare her, like Gary or that creeper guy back in Kanto. He had been afraid that he couldn't handle being this close to the girl that sent his heart racing. But all the anxiety and nervousness that had been eating him up inside had magically disappeared, just like his mother had said it would. And it felt wonderful. No, it felt...right. Like it was meant to be like this.

The two were brought back to reality as a massive cheering erupted from the crowd. Ash stepped back and grinned happily at Iris. Because it felt really great getting over his annoying anxiety over his crush and the fact that Iris had kissed him back. Did that mean she returned his feelings? However, Iris didn't return his look. Instead a mortified look formed on her face and her eyes were glued on something happening on the battlefield. Did something happen while they weren't keeping up with the battle?

Curious, Ash followed her gaze only to gasp in utter embarrassment! There, right on the arena's big screen, were the two of them! Realizing that their entire conversation had been captured and was for everyone in the stadium to see, the blush on their faces turned scarlet red. When the cheering and whoops from the audience had died down a little, the announcers decided to make a little comment to the adorable and touching sight everyone in the arena just witnessed.

"Good job, buddy! You put yourself out there and look what you found!" The first announcer was obviously referring to Ash.

"Ah young love, it can't get any cuter than this!" The second announcer gushed, her voice bouncing around the whole arena. "Can we get another round of applause for this new couple?"

Being too embarrassed for words, all Ash could do was to grab Iris' hand and making a mad dash towards the exit as the cheering got louder. Reaching the stadium's entrance, the two let the cold afternoon air blow past their flushed faces as they tried to catch their breath back.

"Are you okay?" Iris asked, looking over at Ash who held a hand over his beating heart and was breathing sort of hard.

"Yeah, but just barely," Ash muttered. "Let's grab some drinks and watch the rest of the battle. I'm beat!"

Iris nodded. "Right. Let's go."

The two of them made their way towards the vending machine in silence. So many things had happened in such a short time. Both of them needed some time to let it all sink in. Ash coughed a little, gaining Iris' attention. She furrowed her brows in worry just as Ash burst out laughing. Not sure what was so funny, she couldn't help but crack a smile as well. The whole situation had been a little comical.

Ash shook his head a little as he thought back of the wish he made wholeheartedly in the ambulance. "What if it's just Arceus's sense of humor...I mean I did promised to tell her what she meant to me, but I bailed out by lying straight to her face when she was taking care of me last week..." Ash muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?"

"N- no! Nothing," he sweatdropped, pushing away the random thought.

The purple haired girl went back to eyeing the vending machine with shining eyes. "There's so many different flavors to choose from! Much more than they have in the convenience-stores in Pallet..." Iris let her eyes trail over the display of soft drinks. "Maybe we should try the- oh!" The purple haired girl slapped a hand against her blabbering mouth. Ash wasn't supposed to have overly sweet food, she realized. A bit too late. "I'm sorry Ash, I- I didn't mean to-"

"To act like the glutton you are?"

"Hey!" Iris couldn't help but laugh as she tried to swat his arm, but he marvelously avoided by stepping aside. He did a rather good job coping with the awkward moment that could have settled between them, she noted.

"Don't worry, Iris, you can get whatever you want, I can live with it," Ash smirked, making Iris roll her eyes as she decided ordered water for both of them."Watch your tongue, mister, or I'm giving your bottle to Pikachu and Axew to share."

"Alright fine," Ash accepted the water bottle Iris handed to him, opened the cap and took a long sip.

"I hope we didn't miss much of the battle," Iris blushed at his words as they made their way up to the stadium and towards their seats. However, watching the battle in peace was now unsaid. Some people sitting around them began cheering and clapping in unison, snapping other spectators' attention. Even Pikachu and Axew were grinning from ear to ear. Could it get more mortifying than this?Probably not.

"Not a word you two!" The two embarrassed teens yelled out in unison as they took their seats and sunk lower down. Their respective Pokemon just snickered as they leaped onto their trainer's laps. If Ash and Iris thought they wouldn't hear the end of this they were dead wrong. This was just the beginning.

When the other spectators were done grinning, gushing and staring at them, they went back to wave their flags and broke into another loud victory song dedicated to their beloved Pokemon Trainers competing on the field.

"I hope they get caught on the kiss cam," a female voice giggled behind them.

Ash and Iris blushed bright red at her comment, both grateful for the dim light around them so their faces weren't exposed. To make the situation less awkward, Iris reached out her right hand and grasped Ash's left hand lightly. Ash responded by giving it a slight squeeze and smiling as he watched the ongoing battle. Neither of them even noticed that the half hearts of their special beaded friendship bracelets, slipping together, mending into one shimmering silver heart.


	15. And it goes on

It's funny how things can change in a heartbeat. In one second, Gary is about to spend his Saturday evening driving around town. And now, the news of Headmaster Grace having an extraordinary meeting happens to reach him. He could hear some students murmur among themselves as he passed by them on his way to the parking lot, as well as people looking his way more than they normally did. Feeling a bit uneasy about the whole thing, he asked a random girl what all the commotion was about. However, the answer he received brought his weekend plans to a screeching halt as he turned his heel and sprinted towards the main building.

Grace only hosted important meetings once a month, but this was different. From what he heard, she had invited a rather important person to attend it. An important man that so happened to found the academy and also his grandfather.

Professor Oak.

He could feel his stomach churn at the thought of his grandpa visiting the academy. It was just a thing that was never done, or should be done, in Gary's opinion. The only time the old man would come was when something urgent or unusual happened. But what could possibly so important that it had to be discussed between Professor Oak , the school staff and headmaster herself, especially this late in the first semester?

Gary raced up the stairs on his way to the meeting lounge, his heart beating hard against his chest. No matter how hard he tried to reassure himself it probably wasn't anything big, the anxious feeling never left. The brunet turned a corner and stopped abruptly in his tracks at the sight of a figure standing in the middle of the hall. "Daisy!?"

"Gary?" The brunette whirled around and smiled kindly at him. "Oh, how have you been? Are you eating well now when finals are coming-"

"Quit the chit chat and tell me what's going on!" Gary demanded. "Why are you and gramps here?"

The smile on Daisy's face faded and was replaced with an uneasy look. "Oh, um well... y-you see...Grandpa told me there is an important matter in hand and the Academy's teachers couldn't agree on a solution among themselves... so they called him for help."

"Important matter?" Gary frowned. "Do you know what it is about?"

Daisy looked down on the tiled floor, her bangs covering her eyes. "About a student, I think...Grandpa didn't tell me much."

The bad feeling Gary had didn't subside. "Which student?"

As if on cue, the large lounge door swung open. A chorus of chatter emerged from the room and filled the tensed silence between the two siblings. The first man to exit the room stopped abruptly in his tracks at the sight of the brunet boy.

"Gary?" He asked before taking a few rushed steps towards him.

"Grandpa," Gary furrowed his brows in worry. "What are you doing here?"

"Headmaster Grace called me over for an extraordinary meeting," he replied nonchalantly before changing the subject. "How are you doing, my boy? Have you studied well?"

"I'm fine and all...but can I ask what the matter was about?" Gary wasn't going to let them off the hook that easily.

"Professor Oak?"

Everyone's heads turned towards the doorway where Grace stood with some papers in hand. She adjusted her glasses as her bright blue eyes skimmed through the paper hurriedly before looking up. "Here's Ash Ketchum's files so you might want to take a look on it before -" She stopped mid sentence as she noticed Gary standing beside Professor Oak and a frown overtook her face. "What are you doing here, Gary Oak? You're not supposed to be at the teacher's lounge!" She scolded him with an annoyed look.

"Are you discussing Ash's heart condition?" He looked over at his grandpa, his blue eyes brimming with disbelief. "Is...is he getting expelled?"

Professor Oak narrowed his eyes at Gary. "That's none of your concern, Gary. Leave this case to us grownups."

Gary lowered his head, balling up fists next to his side. "It's because he collapsed a few weeks ago, isn't it?"

Gary's last statement caused silence to loom over the hallway. Grace took the opportunity to slip back into the meeting lounge, leaving the small family of three for themselves.

The brunet could hear footsteps approaching him and in a few seconds a pair of shoes entered his field of vision along with a pair of hands landing on his shoulder. A shiver ran down the brunet's spine at the sound of his grandpa exhaling slowly.

But before he could say anything, Gary interjected; "Is it? Because if it is, I have something I'd like to say."

"You don't have to say anything. The student we're discussing has nothing to do with you." Professor Oak's voice was stern and direct, lacking the usual warmness and sympathetic tone. "Leave it, Gary. This matter is between me and the Academy staff only."

Gary didn't bother looking up at his grandpa as an airy laugh escaped his lips. "I'm not a little kid anymore, gramps. I know this 'student' is Ash Ketchum. And I might also know more about him than you think." Gary dared to look up and bore his glare into Oak's eyes. "So stop leaving me in the dark! I- I can help you in more ways than you think if you would let me!"

"Stop it, Gary!" Daisy demanded as she rushed over to her brother and held him back by his arm. "Nothing's final yet and for all we know this student doesn't really have to leave the Academy and-" The brunette cut herself off by slapping a hand over her mouth.

The lump in Gary's throat fell to his stomach and made him nauseous.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to say it... I mean I just..." Daisy rambled as she shook her head in an apologetic way.

"No... you can't do this," Gary shrugged his grandfather's hand from his shoulder and shook his head in disbelief. "You just can't pressure him to leave the academy because of a freaking disease!"

"It's for his own good we decided on this," Professor Oak reasoned with a stern look.

"Gary," Daisy pleaded as she walked up beside their grandpa. "You have to understand. Remember what happened to dad-"

"I know damn well what happened to dad! But Ash isn't him and you don't have any right to assume so!" Gary exclaimed, slightly surprised by the amount of great rage brimming in his voice. "I can't believe you, Daisy. Why the hell did you keep this from me!?"

"That's no way to talk to your sister," Professor Oak stepped between the siblings. "Gary, I think you should head back to your dorm. We can discuss this once you have calmed down."

Daisy dared to step a little closer to her little brother and tried to keep her voice steady, "I know it's hard for you, considering everything that's happened...That's why I- I didn't say anything. I just wanted to protect you."

"So you lied to me because you didn't think I could handle the truth?!" Gary spat out in disgust. "I can't believe I still call you my sister." He saw his older sister flinch at his words, but could care less so before anyone could say anything more he turned and dashed down the hallway, ignoring his family calling for him to come back.

Gary ran through the mass of students standing in the hallways and the campus, the only thing in his mind being to get away from it all. He didn't even heed the attention his peers were giving him as he absentmindedly dashed down the pathway leading to the main gate. He was on a good way running down the stairs when he had to stop abruptly to avoid colliding with two girls.

"Hey Gary. What's the rush?"

Gary looked up and adjusted his gaze on the two familiar girls. Iris was the one that had been speaking. She and Serena were holding onto heaps of shopping bags and both wore equal happy expressions on their faces. Fennekin and Axew were happily shuffling behind their trainers, both of them in deep conversation in their Pokemon language.

He didn't feel like sharing what he just had found out. Not when they were in such a happy mood. Gary kept his gaze to the floor and dashed past them, not caring where he was heading as his vision blurred with each step.

It wasn't fair. His father had been pressured to quit his job as an English Professor at Kanto University due to his condition and now he same thing happening to another student. What was worse he could do nothing to stop it from happening...it was way too much for the brunet.

So he did what he knew the best. He ran away.

**-:-**

_It wasn't a dream. By now it couldn't be just a coincidence, either. The memory became more vivid the more Gary though back at the faint dream-like encounter he had at the hospital all those years ago. He couldn't tell why the memory stayed with him for such an extended amount of time, but every now and then a certain image of a little boy appeared in his mind._** (1)**

_It wasn't a deep, meaningful memory. In fact nothing extraordinary happened. He vaguely remember himself sitting in one of the chairs in hospital's waiting room and anxiously waiting for his grandpa to pick him up. In his hands he's holding an envelope, containing a poem he wrote in kindergarten. Writing poems were his father's favorite activity to pass time and Gary had especially thought of him when he was writing it._

_The smile on his father's face was enough to tug Gary's lips upwards in a wide toothy grin. He could barely wait to show his dad his poem!_

_However, his attention is arrested by a few coughs echoing from the opposite corner of the room. Averting his blue eyes towards the sound Gary sees a little boy with jet black hair sitting alone by the play corner surrounded by Lego bricks. He was all dressed in white and he appeared be a little out of it...as if he was about to doze off anytime._

_"Weird," was the thought that popped up in Gary's mind._

_Though that didn't stop his curiosity and he found himself wandering over to the boy and asking to play. The little boy seemed almost stunned at his words but happily obliged and they spent the next half hour happily building castles and spaceships with the colorful plastic bricks._

_At a point the raven haired boy notices the envelope in the brunet's lap. Pointing to it, he asks what it is. Gary proudly tells him about the poem he wrote for his sick dad and the other boy smiled at this._

_Gary's poem was all that great in comparison to his father's professional and deep writing, but still, the way the little boy's face lit up when Gary read the poem aloud was something the brunet would always remember, along with what he replied with when Gary commented that his poem probably sucked._

_"Nah, it didn't suck. Since you did your very best, it's gotta be great."_

_After that things got a little blurry as the boy suddenly became overcome by a harsh coughing fit and a nurse had to quickly assist him back to his room._

_Nevertheless, Gary decided to trust this stranger's advice and handed his father the letter once he was allowed to visit his room._

_His father's expression held the same Ash's had; a happy and brightened look replacing the tired look from before as he read the poem. And even though Gary was merely around the age of five, he knew his father was proud of him._

_It was the image of his father smiling face that day that Gary wanted to remember every time he thought back. Especially how happy he'd got when Gary told him he wanted to become a English teacher just like his father and make people smile with his writing._

_And the little boy had helped give him the confidence he didn't even knew he had._

* * *

"I've never thought going shopping would ever be fun," Iris admitted and held up the numerous shopping bags she held in delight. "You weren't kidding when you said we were buying a whole new wardrobe!"

"When it comes to shopping, leave it all to the expert," Serena winked playfully. "Isn't that right, Fennekin?"

"Fen Fennekin!" The little fox like Pokemon chirped happily.

"I don't even think I got more room in my wardrobe back in the dorm," Iris admitted with a sweatdrop. "I've never bought so much in my life!"

"This is nothing compared to what I usually buy!" Serena declared with a smile. "Doesn't Kanto have any cool fashion stores?"

"A lot of them, actually. But I never bothered spending much time in them. I only have a dad back home who couldn't care less about fashion and a boy as a best friend with no fashion sense whatsoever," Iris waved her hand in dismissal with a giggle. "How about you?"

"Well the thing is, I've always been a little timid so I never had many friends growing up. That and my mother kept signing me up for after school activities like Ryhorn racing and piano lessons. I was so busy that I barely had any free time at all!" Serena exclaimed. "But I've always liked fashion so I went out shopping every time I had the chance. I'm glad you went with me, Iris, shopping with others is so much more fun!"

"Fun but pretty scary," Iris corrected her as she thought back at the rampaging students who went berserk over the sales in the mall. Iris had never seen so many people squealing while running around and even fighting over an article of clothing while the shop employees tried to tear them apart and fill the empty shelves at the same time. Iris was lucky she was with Serena because she already knew some of the employees who had set some of the coolest clothes aside for the blonde.

When Serena had marvelously guided Iris through the mass of students and balanced a pile of clothes in her arms, she had shooed Iris into one of the changing rooms and made her try on every cute outfit in sight. Despite being a little skeptical, Iris had been obedient put on every cloth Serena threw over the door and was surprised to find out it was quite fun to dress up. Even Axew had fun putting on cute hats and scarves designed to fit small Pokemon!

After going shopping, hitting the arcade (which was Iris and Axew's idea) and pigging out at the food court, everyone had agreed to call it a day and take the bus back to the Academy.

Despite them being two totally different people, both of them still managed to have a lot of fun trying out each other's interests. And that's what kept their evening fun and entertaining.

"Oh dodging the students was the easy part," Serena waved her off. "The most scary part was when we were at the arcade. Talk about a gloomy place."

"Fen fennekin," Fennekin agreed with a huff.

"Hey, I was just trying to be fair since we did something I like when we did your thing first!" Iris stated. "Just admit you had a _liiittle_ fun at the Arcade too."

"Hmm, I did?" Serena pursed her lips.

"Maybe you didn't like it as much because you kept losing!" Iris said with teasing smile

"I won a good amount of games!" Serena gestured to one of her bags containing some of the prizes she won. "Besides, I'm a quick learner."

"After I helped you through every boss battle in one of the Arcade machines?"

"Iris!" The blonde failed to keep her nonchalant expression as she laughed. "Okay, I admit I had a lot of fun. Arcade games aren't all too bad. Happy?"

"Very," Iris replied with a nod of approval.

"So, Iris," Serena looked over at the petite girl with a mischievous look. "What were you and Ash doing before I met up with you?"

"Uhm, well we were at the carnival set out outside the Pokemon Tournament before the battles began." The blush that appeared to Iris's cheeks didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. However, before she could tease Iris about it, the sound of running feet approaching them snapped her attention. She moved her gaze from Iris and gasped in surprise when a figure slowed down their pace before them.

"Gary? What's the rush?" Iris questioned the brunet who appeared to be a little distressed.

Their question was left unanswered as Gary dashed past the girls and bolted down the streets towards Arceus knew where. The two girls and Pokemon looked after him in surprise before another person ran up to the two girls.

"Oh darn it. I lost him," the brunette girl muttered under her breath as she rested her hands on her knees while panting heavily.

"Were you looking for Gary? He ran over there," Serena pointed at the direction the brunet had disappeared towards.

The brunette girl smiled up at the two girls, her blue eyes twinkling in the evening light. "If it's not too much trouble...would you mind running after him?"

"Huh?" The two girl blinked in unison.

"I-I mean I messed up and now Gary won't talk to me and...well, if you know him maybe you could help him calm down. He could need someone to talk to," the girl sighed in exhaustion. "Please."

"I could," Serena volunteered with a slight frown. "But who are you?"

"I'm Daisy Oak, his older sister," she presented herself.

"Alright, Daisy, I'll do my best in calming him down. If you could bring my stuff and Fennekin safely back to the Academy, that is," the blonde trailed off.

"Of course," Daisy nodded. "Thank you!"

"Be good while I'm gone, okay?" Serena squatted down and hugged the fire type Pokemon. "I'll be back soon. And Iris?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't think I'll let you off the hook that easily. You still haven't told me anything about the date yet!"

"D-Date?!" Iris sputtered, her face turning red. "It wa-wasn't a d-date!

However, Serena just gave a small laugh before she turned her heel and ran raced down the streets in search for the brunet known as Gary.

* * *

Iris and Axew walked up the last couple of meters to the Academy on their own. Both could agree it had been a long, but memorable day. She had managed to get two of Ash's wishes done; Having a day where he didn't have to worry about anything and telling someone special about his feelings. And on top of it all, she had received her first kiss. She had been a little anxious about the whole 'tell someone special his feelings' wish, and even though she knew Ash and her were close, she hadn't really expected to be the one Ash loved. A hot blush ignited over her face as the series of the day's events replayed in her head, getting all dolled up, heading to a carnevil, receiving a dragon type plushie from Ash and then the heart stopping kiss they shared and of course an evening of shopping with Serena. It was all to dream like to feel real!

Suddenly a cheery ringtone rung through the air the moment Iris and Axew entered the gates of the academy. Iris put down her numerous shopping bags before she reached into her pink bag for her phone and checked the caller id. A smile formed at her face at the name on the caller.

"Hi dad!" Iris greeted her adoptive father cheerily. "What's up?"

"Good evening, Iris," Drayden replied in his formally, his stern voice quickly wiping away the cheerful smile on Iris' face. "How are you?"

"I-I'm fine," Iris said with a small frown forming on her face. She could tell he didn't call her just to ask her how she was doing like he normally did. Something else was laced in his tone, something she didn't have a good feeling about. "Uh, is something wrong?"

"Wrong? No, no, not really. But there's something I need to tell you."

"T-tell me?" The girl repeated, sensing the seriousness in his tone.

"There isn't no easy way to tell you this, Iris." There was a pause on the other line before she heard Drayden heave a long heavy sigh. "I'm closing down the gym in Pallet Town to reopen my old gym at Opelucid City."

"We're moving back to Unova!?"

"That's right. And not only that, I've fixed you a position as the gym leader alongside me. You've always dreamed of becoming a Dragon Master, haven't you? This is a golden opportunity to take another step towards your goal. I can mentor you and we'll train every day, and one day you might be able to run the gym on your own."

Iris didn't, well more like couldn't, reply. The thought of running her own gym sounded wonderful, but it wasn't something that should be happening right now! She had to finish her year as a nurse in training at the academy first. That and going on a Pokemon journey with her dear friend (or possibly boyfriend?) Ash, Axew and Pikachu. She was just fifteen, she had plenty of time before deciding on a career!

"Iris? Are you there?"

"Dad...we can't just move back so suddenly...What about my journey? What about Ash?"

"What does Ash have to do with this?"

"Everything! We made a promise! We were supposed to travel together! A-and besides, I... I..." Iris pressed her lips together as a dizzy sensation came over her and her legs began to tremble.

"You...?" Drayden's voice trailed off.

"Ash and I...uh we..." Iris dropped the idea of telling Drayden about them being together. It wouldn't probably make a difference anyway. "I don't want to move just yet!"

"I know these past few months haven't been easy for you, with all those sudden changes in your life. But please, put yourself first sometimes. You barely passed middle school. Your chances in getting into any university is minimal at best based on your grades. If you become a gym leader you can gain enough points to attend any university you want later on. Iris, dear, you have to understand you aren't a little kid anymore. You can't keep follow Ash around like a lost Lillipup. I know he's a hardworking, kind and courageous young man, but you can't dedicate your life to him. Iris, you must find your own path."

"I'm not dedicating my life to Ash, I just want him to be a part of it like he have always has been!" Iris reasoned, fighting back some tears threatening to flow down. "I'd hate to leave him, especially after his accident. I want to be there beside him every step of the way. So I can't leave! Not now, daddy!"

There was a slight pause before Drayden's voice cut through the phone. "Ash will always be a part of your life, Iris. Knowing you two you'd still be able to communicate through video phones and letters. And I promise we'll head back to Pallet when the holidays roll around every year so we can continue with our common celebration with Delia and Ash."

The purple haired girl wanted to protest but found that she had no words to do so."...When are we gonna move?" Iris muttered in defeat.

"We're not moving until after New Year's, which gives you another two months at the Academy. You can finish this first semester as Nurse Joy's apprentice. Is that alright?"

"I-I guess..." Iris mumbled as she regained feeling in her numb legs.

"I'm sorry if I was harsh on you, but I'm only doing this because I care about you and I wish you nothing but the best. Please think about this offer, okay? Take care, Iris."

"You too. Bye," Iris removed the phone from her ear and pressed the end call button. The phone conversation with Drayden had left her with a sense of numbness. In a way, she had seen it coming. She knew school wasn't her strong point. It never had been. But she'd never really considered the consequences of her below-average grades. What chances did she really have in getting into a good university? Would people care about her GPA if she ever became a Dragon Master?

Iris groaned in annoyance and ruffled her hair, messing up her now loose braid and letting her purple strands of hair fall over her face.

Unlike Ash, she had no idea where she was heading in life. And for the first time it kind of scared her.

* * *

Serena slowed down her pace as she reached a park and walked along the different pathways in search of Gary. The park was rather large with several flower beds and trees scattered all around the places. The blonde would've loved going for a walk here, if it wasn't so dark and eerie. With the tall trees casting shadows across the park and the dim lights from the street lamps flickering all made her skin crawl as she made her way further.

"Gary, where are you-WAAH!" Serena cried out, stumbling back and falling on her butt as something jumped out of the bushes and stood over her. The figure resembled a purple cat-like Pokemon. It glared at her for a moment before running off behind some bushes. "Thank Arceus...it was just a Purrlion," Serena breathed out in relief as she got up on her feet and continued her search. She walked a little further down the path when she spotted a dark silhouette sitting on one of the benches a couple of meters ahead in a slouched position. "There you are," she said to herself before jogging up to him. Once she reached the brunet, she tapped his back gently to get his attention.

"Damn it, Daisy! Didn't I tell you to leave me alone!?" Gary snapped angrily. He jumped up from where he sat and shoved her harshly, causing the startled blonde to let out a yelp and stumble backwards. At the sight of her, blue eyes widened and a shocked expression overtook his. "S-Serena!? I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to push you like that."

"Oh, it's okay, I'm fine!" Serena replied softly as she walked over and sat on the bench beside him.

"I thought you were Daisy, trying to lecture me about my outburst earlier." Gary mumbled

"Well, in that case you probably won't be too happy with me being here," Serena said, making a move to get to her feet.

"It's fine, ya don't gotta leave." The boy with blue eyes said with a wave of his hand.

Serena sat back down and eyed the brunette, he seemed deep and lost in thought. Wanting to help she uttered "What happened, back there?"

"Nothing."

"Something had to upset you..."

The brunet didn't reply, making Serena heave a sigh. "Fine." Gary said, glancing at her. "I'll tell you. But it's a long story."

"It's alright. I'm not in a hurry," Serena reassured him.

So without as much as a hesitation the boy opened up."I was ten at that time," Gary began, slouching over and resting his elbows on his knees. His eyes were covered by his auburn bangs that swayed along with the chill wind.

Serena nodded slightly, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Daisy was thirteen. Dad had left us months ago for a journey across Kanto and my mom was a nervous wreck. She'd bring her phone everywhere, waiting for my dad to give her a call that never came. But the day she'd received her long awaited call," Gary paused and let a heavy sigh deflate his chest. "...It was from the hospital. His time was up. He hadn't got a heart donor in time." Serena's hand jolted up to her mouth to stifle her gasp. But before she could open her mouth to say any comforting words Gary continued. "I-I was so angry at him! I couldn't believe why he would do that to us...to mom...after the whole ordeal mom...she just completely shut down. She stopped homeschooling us and sent us to some private school in a nearby town. All my mother did was lock herself in her room and sleep. It was almost as if we've lost our beloved mother too. And now that I think back on it, that was about the time I started to get angry all the time, literally anything would set me off. I got into fights at school, I broke the furniture at home, hell I even attacked some of the teachers," Gary shook his head with a silent laugh. "And what's worse that instead of asking me what was wrong with me, mom would drag me into my room and lock the door. She found my antics embarrassing and kept nagging me, saying how I was ruining our family reputation! If I got into one of my anger induced fits when we had visitors over, she would snatch me by the ear, drag me to my room, lock the door and smile at the guests like nothing was wrong."

"Wow...I-I can bet dinner with the Oak family must very...um interesting." Serena said, trying to make a small joke and giving a weary smile

Gary looked up at Serena with a saddened half smile, obviously not too amused by her words, before looking down on the ground again. "...I gotta admit, I was really lonely all those years, but back then I'd be damned to let anyone know, not even Daisy who I had always been close to. She had to always skip a few hours of her after school activities to make sure I got home safely after school and when I'd get sick she wouldn't dare leave the house until I was feeling better," Gary swallowed hard as if the words hurt to say aloud. "Big sis, took care of just about everything even the food, which we didn't have enough of at home most of the time. I mean waking up mom so she could go shopping was close to impossible, so we usually made sure to eat enough at school." The brunette leaned back against the bench and looked up at the sky as a melancholy expression molded onto his face.

"I can remember waking up on a Sunday morning and Daisy saying that we didn't have anything to eat in the house and that all the grocery stores in Pallet are closed since it was Sunday. Without any other option we knew we had to drive to the nearest town to buy food so I suggested we head out. We waited till it got dark before I grabbed mom's wallet and car keys and got in the car. Daisy went with me just to make sure I wasn't alone. So there was an eleven year old behind the wheel cruising down the empty streets of Pallet with his sister that evening. Everything went smoothly. I remember I loved the feeling of driving. I've never felt so...free. Like I could get away from everything. We got to the store, bought enough food for a week and set our course home. Unfortunately someone from the store saw me hop into the driver side of the car and speed off and called on the cops. Later, the sirens went off behind us and the sight of the police chasing us scared me so much I drove off the road and crashed into a tree. And even though I knew I bleeding and I was in pain I didn't care all I wanted was to see if my big sis was alright. Thank Arcues she was...it made me so happy to see she was just a bit banged up that I started bawling like a baby...and now that I think about it that was the first time I've cried ever since my father's death."

"Thank goodness both of you managed to get out of that car crash with nothing but a few scrapes and bruises," Serena said with a small smile. "I bet your mom was relieved."

At this Gary snorted."Nah, my mom was downright pissed off at first. She was yelling her head off and really giving the two of us a good tongue lashing, but right when I thought she was going to ground us or something...she lost it. She started sobbing right there in front of us, the cops, everyone and didn't stop for a while. It was then that I realized that my mom thought she'd lose her kids that night but for better or for worse it changed her completely. Some days she was get up all happy and bright, determined to start fresh and then the next day she become this sadden shell of herself and stayed in bed all day." Gary sighed as he went on. "Mom's mood swings got so bad that my grandpa Oak would visit us frequently to check on us. I used to love it when gramps visited us. Daisy and I both did. He looked after us so Daisy didn't have to skip school anymore. But I kept getting in trouble. I still fought at school just to let out my anger onto someone.

I know it was wrong of me, but I was so frustrated and that alone annoyed me because I had no idea why I was so angry all the time. Mom cried because of me. Daisy cried because of me. Gramps retired from his position as the respected Academy Headmaster just to take care of my anger issue and keep me from trouble. I got sick of everything being about me. I hated being that big burden..." Gary shook his head, seeming disgusted with himself. "In the end, I got expelled from school, but instead of yelling at me, gramps offered me a second chance. He told me about the Poké Academy he founded here in Unova. To be blunt I'd rather travel around, but being afraid to disappoint my family even more than I already had, I agreed and got enrolled into the academy last year."

Serena nodded, remembering the day when the brunette, looking as cocky and annoying as ever, had walked down the halls of the academy for the first time. He had every girl's head turning and every guy looking on in amazement at how confidently he carried himself. She even remembered how when he caught sight of her, he had flashed her a smirk and gave a wink of one his blue eyes before continuing on like nothing had happened. Pushing the thought aside she went on to say, "So, did coming here change anything for you and your family?"

Gary gave a shrug."I guess...I mean everything did go well for a while. Daisy would occasionally visit and bring me groceries or other stuff I needed, and I gotta admit that even if it got a bit annoying every time she popped up, I grateful that I have a big sis that cares enough to drive all the way here just for me. And according to her, even gramps was proud of me for turning over a new leaf, just about everyone respected me for a change. And what's more the girls here fell head over heels for my bad boy personality and even though I was feeling more loved and surrounded by people than ever before...I still felt lonely." The brunette sighed heavily. "Nothing seemed to fill the void in my heart, and it didn't get any better when Ash came along."

"What do you mean by that?" Serena asked, unsure why Ash fit into what Gary had to say.

Blue eyes glanced over at her. "Well...when he showed up, Iris was there too and at first I didn't think anything was too unusual until you and Iris kept going on and on about how he should be more careful. All the fussing towards him seemed familiar for some reason, and of course I got curious." With a guilty look he added quickly. "So, I snuck into the school files and read through his paper. I know it was wrong of me. I shouldn't have done that. But I did and I could feel the anger burn inside me again. I-I felt so sorry for you and Iris, no one deserves to deal with the loss of someone so dear and important to them. I even went as far as trying to part the two of them, which lead to Iris and Ash getting more annoyed by me than anything. I guess I just can't break a bond between two people who are close to each other... I shouldn't have tried to..."

"Gary," Serena whispered and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I- I had no idea you were struggling with all this for all this time...as the headmaster's daughter I should have done something..."

Gary shook his head. "No need to be sorry. It's not your fault."

His words caused the girl to smile."You know, for a while I was sure I'd never be able to understand you. But hearing you reflecting upon what you did and how you regret your actions shows you have a good heart, Gary," Serena gave a small laugh at the way he looked at her with a surprised expression. "You're not a bad person, you've just had it bad. And I'll be here for you. I'm sure Ash and Iris will too, if you apologize to them and-"

Serena suddenly stopped at the sight of a few tears slipping down Gary's cheeks. Even though he quickly turned away to try and hide them, she had seen them and she softly smiled. It wasn't a smile of humor, it was one of realization that the boy sitting beside her was just like everyone else, sure most saw him as the confident and cocky Academy's self-proclaimed playboy, but alone sitting beside him and hearing him out caused Serena to see him in another way. He was human and just like everyone else he too had a breaking point.

Serena dared to scoot closer to the brunette and wrap her arm around his shoulders. Gary flinched a little at the contact, but relaxed once he breathed out. "You're a good guy," she said sincerely.

"...Thanks," Gary wiped away the remaining tears with his sleeve. "Thanks Serena, for hearing me out and not judging me."

"It's the least I could do," Serena said with a reassuring smile, but it faded as she was a frown appearing on Gary's face. "What's the matter?"

"It's about Ash"

"What about him?"

"Wait...you didn't hear what's gonna happen to him?"

"Well, no...wait don't tell me he's going back to the hospital!"

"What? No! Geez, as the headmaster's daughter you'd think you'd know that they're considering expelling him from the Academy."

"What! W-Why would they do that!?" Serena exclaimed in disbelief.

Gary blinked his blue eyes, still shocked at how much this girl was being kept in the dark about things."Well he missed some important tests because he had to be hospitalized and put on bedrest for such a long time. They're afraid he'll risk his health if he works too hard on catching up with his classes and with midterms coming up...honestly I don't know if he can do it, I mean even students that are smart as hell are freaking out over midterms."

"But he can still make it...I mean it's really hard getting into this Academy in the first place, for Arceus' sake! So he must be used to work hard. I can't believe mom would allow this..." Serena cut herself off abruptly as a thought formed in her head. Her mom was the headmaster and the one hosting the important meeting. She vaguely remembered her mother rambling about a case about a student last night, but she hadn't given it much of a thought but she hadn't anticipated that student to be Ash.

For ages Grace had liked to direct Serena's life. She had always picked her clothes, told her how to act in different settings and generally formed her life just the way she thought was right. Serena loved her mother and she knew she fussed around her because she cared, but sometimes Grace could get too far and Serena had to set a limit. The fact that Grace now tried to butt into someone else's life irked the blonde more than anything.

"Serena?" the boy beside her inquired as she suddenly jumped up from the bench.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure Ash isn't going anywhere without his diploma," she reassured him determinedly. "As for you, I think it'll be best if you'd head to Nurse Joy tomorrow morning. I'd love to help you, but in this case I suppose Nurse Joy would know how to help you the best."

A grin played on Gary's drained expression. "I guess you're right. In that case tomorrow's going to be an interesting day."

Gary couldn't have been more right.

* * *

"It's open!" Ash voice yelled from the other side as Iris knocked on the door of his dorm room. Said girl twisted on the doorknob and entered the room with a slight smile on her face. Besides the mess, his dorm wasn't much different from her own. It was a narrow room with green walls, a bed, a closet, a door leading to his private bathroom and a study table. Ash sat on his bed with his back facing her, seeming to be deep engrossed in a book.

"Geez, it looks like a hurricane blew through here!" Iris commented as she stepped over the clothes and books that littered the floor. "You should really clean up more, Ash, or someone could trip over all this stuff."

"Ax ewww!" Axew cried in surprise as he slipped over a sock that was on the floor.

"Axew! Are you alright?" Iris asked in worry as she squatted down to Axew's level and helped him back on his feet. After making sure he was okay, she shot an irked look at Ash's direction. "See what I mean?"

"I was planning to clean up after catching up with the homework," Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I have a lot to catch up on..."

"That maybe so, but that doesn't mean you have to leave your room a pigsty," Iris scrambled back on her feet as Axew and Pikachu started a game of chase. Iris pondered on a way to tell him she and Drayden were moving soon to Opelucid City. Would he take the news well? Would he be upset?

"Hey Iris, what's with that frown?" Ash said and put down his textbook.

"Oh nothing," Iris snapped back to reality and gave a nervous chuckle. "Just had a long day and I'm tired."

"It isn't like you to be tired," a mischievous look came over Ash as he made his way over to Iris. "You're probably bent out of shape because you spend way too much time in the clinic! Good thing I know exactly how to cheer you up again."

The purple haired girl didn't get time to reply as she found herself wrapped in a tight embrace, Ash's fingers caressing over the sides of her waist. The immensely ticklish sensation pulsed to all of her body, making Iris start instinctively squirming under Ash's attack. Damn him for knowing her weakness!

"Ash!" She wailed between her fits of laughter. "S-stop! Stop it! St-stop tickling me!"

"Why don't you make me?" He grinned in a challenging manner, continuing to tickle the helpless girl.

"Is that a challenge?" Iris laughed before she twisted in Ash's grip and pushed him backwards. Ash gave a yelp of surprise as he tripped backwards over his bed, giving Iris the advantage to pin him against the bed by straddling his legs. "I thought you'd know better than that," she smirked before she began the same torturing technique and in an instant Ash was completely incapacitated. Partly from the tickling sensation, and partly from the fact that his crush was sitting on top of him.

"Not so tough now, are you," Iris teased with a chuckle.

"You haven't won yet!" Ash grinned before flipping Iris to the side and over so he was the one sitting on top. "Iris Dragonlight, you have sealed your fate."

Then he mercilessly tickled Iris everywhere. Due to their previous tackle fights, Ash knew exactly where all of her tickle spots are. Didn't mean Iris couldn't fight back though. He won the ring toss game, but he was not going to win the tickle war!

"Think again," Iris managed to utter through her giggles as she got a grip around his waist and shoved him off the bed. Unfortunately, Ash grabbed her arm and dragged her down with him, along with the textbooks, blanket and pillow that once sat on the bed. Ash landed on his back with Iris toppling over him, both laughing the whole time.

It wasn't until they managed to cease their laughing and catch their breath that they noticed how close they were to one another. However, neither bothered to move, it felt...nice to be this way. And as they laid there on the floor, Iris found herself rest her head on Ash's chest, listening contentedly to the steady beat and the sound of his breathing. Ash had his right arm around the girl, enjoying the comforting warmth she gave off. Pikachu and Axew concluded their little game and snuggled closer to their trainers.

Iris rested in silence for a long moment but as feeling of drowsiness started to take over, she muttered; "It's late. Axew and I should probably head over to our dorm..."

Ash's grip around her slightly tightened as her statement left her mouth."Don't," came his drowsy voice. "Stay with me...just for a little longer."

Iris rolled her eyes playfully. "That's crazy, Ash. You know I can't be in your dorm after sundown and I'll see you tomorrow anyways."

"But tomorrow's my last day at the infirmary and I won't be able to see you much after that," Ash reminded her.

"...I know," Iris heaved a sigh. Again what Drayden had said played in her mind; Did she really just follow Ash to the Academy? Was that the sole purpose she became Nurse Joy's apprentice? Sure she had always been good at making medicines and remedies, and that was defiantly something she enjoyed doing, but was all her hard work just because she wanted to stay close to Ash? The thought caused this sinking feeling to appear in her chest, but she rejected it and quickly changed the subject."Ash...have you thought about what you want to do after you get you graduate from the academy?"

"Nah, I haven't thought that far ahead yet. I'll just take one day after the other, like always, and I guess things will sort out by themselves," he replied nonchalantly and gazed up at the ceiling with a small grin. "Besides Iris you shouldn't' have to worry about that, Iris. Try kicking back and relaxing once in awhile."

Iris scoffed. He was one of the only two in the world who could see past the façade she put up every day, the other one being Axew. Sure she had been quite the perfectionist when she was little, and obviously little bit of it still followed her through the years. "I'm totally relaxed right now," she stated.

Ash chuckled as he used his hand to gently lift up Iris's chin so she was facing him. "Stop being so hard on yourself just like you told me earlier. Everything's going to turn out just fine."

"You're right," Iris suppressed a yawn as she gazed into his warm amber eyes.

"Aren't I always?" Ash leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on her forehead, making Iris' face flare up with blush once again. He wasn't so sure why he did it, the moment just seemed right and after this day's circumstances he felt more comfortable near his crush. "Iris?"

"Yes?" Iris murmured.

"Um well... since you know I like you and you like me, does that make us boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Ash asked densely.

"What do you think?" Iris questioned with an inquiring look.

"Dunno, I just don't see any difference in what a boyfriend does than what I already do," Ash thought aloud. "I mean I look out for you, I'm always by your side, I care for you, I support you and I deal with your attitude."

Iris was left speechless for a minute as she let his words sink in. Had Ash actually thought about this!? The concept of romance was something he never quite grasped and Iris was quite impressed to say at last. But before she could say anything else Ash interjected again;

"And of course I love you! I mean...a-and that kiss was...nice." he admitted as a light blush dusted his Z-marked cheeks, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips.

"I- I feel the same way, Ash." Iris uttered in astonishment before a relieved smile formed on her lips. She didn't turn her gaze away from Ash's amber eyes as a silence came over them.

In this moment, everything was perfect.

Iris closed her eyes, in the verge of drifting off into the world slumber. As for now, Drayden's proposal could wait. Iris didn't plan on going anywhere that night.

"Oh and Ash? One more thing," Iris muttered sleepily.

"Hmm?" the boy was already on the brink of nodding off.

Iris inched a bit closer and whispered softly into his ear. "I won, ya little kid."

**-:-**

**(1) For those who don't remember, Gary's flashback is a reference to chapter 10 when he mentioned he'd met Ash before.**


End file.
